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Precept  Upon  Precept  ; 

OR,  A  SERIES  OF 

THE   EARLIEST   RELIGIOUS   INSTRUCTION 

THE  INFANT   MIND  IS  CAPABLE 

OF  RECEIVING. 


BY    THE   AUTHOR    OF 

"THE  PEEP  OF  DAY."     • 


SAMUEL  TO  DANIEL. 


Precept  on  precept." — Isa.  xxviii,  10. 


New  York  : 

THOMAS   WHITTAKER, 

2  &  3  Bible  House. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/preceptuponpreceOOmort 


CONTENTS. 


LESSO:,-  PAGE 

1.  Samuel,  or  the  pious  motner.     1  Sam.  1 ;  2: 1-11,  5 

2.  Samuel,  or  the  little  prophet.    1  Sam.  2  :  18  to  end,  11 
8.  Samuel,  or  the  ark  in  the  battle.     1  Sam.  4  :  1-18,  17 

4.  Samuel,  or  the  god  Dagon.     1  Sam.  5  ;  6  ;  7  :  4,  23 

5.  Saul,  or  the  king.     1  Sam.  8 ;  9  ;  10,  .     .     .     .  80 

6.  Saul,  or  the  disobedient  deed.     1  Sam,  15,  .     .     .  37 

7.  David,  or  the  young  shepherd.     1  Sam.  16  :  1-14,  43 

8.  David,  or  the  harp.     1  Sam.  16  :  14  to  end,    .     .  47 

9.  David,  or  the  giant  Goliath.     1  Sam.  17  :  1-54,     .  54 

10.  David,  or  the  javelin.     1  Sam.  17  :  55  to  end ;  18 ; 

19 :  1-10, 69 

11.  David,  or  the  cave.     1  Sam.  24, 65 

12.  David,  or  the  spear.     1  Sam.  26, 72 

13.  David,  or  the  promise  fulfilled.     1  Sam.  80 ;  2  Sam. 

1  ;  2:4;  5 :  1-3, 77 

14.  David,  or  the  ark  on  Zion.     2  Sam.  5  :  7-11 ;  1 

Chron.  13  ;  15  ;  16  ;   17, 85 

15.  David,  or  Uriah's  wife.     2  Sam.  11  ;  13  :  1-14,     .  92 

16.  David,  or  the  punishment.     2  Sam.  15;  16  ;  17,  99 

17.  David,  or  the  oak-tree.     2  Sam.  18;  19: 1-^4,     .  106 

18.  David,  or  the  farewell.     2  Sam.  19;  1  Kings,  2- 

38,  39;  1  Chron.  28;  29, 118 

19    Solomon,  or  the  wise  choice.     2  Chron.  1 : 1-6;  1 

Kings,  3  :  3  to  end, 118 

20.  Solomon,  or  the  temple.     1  Kings,  5  :  16-17  ;  2 

Chron.  3 ;  4  ;  5 ;  6 ;  7 : 1-12, 126 

tl.  Solomon,  or  the  queen's  visit.     2  Chron.  7  :  11  to 

end;   1  Kings,  10 181 


CONTENTS, 


22.  Solomon,  or  the  idols.     1  Kings,  11 :  1-13,      .     .  136 

23.  Jeroboam,  or  the  dried-up  hand.     1  Kings,  12;  25 

to  end;  13:  1-7,  33,  34, HO 

24.  Elijah,  or  the  ravens.     1  Kings,  16  :  29  to  end ; 

•      17 :  1-7, 144 

25.  Elijah,  or  the  widow.     1  Kings,  17  :  8  to  end,     .      149 

26.  Elijah,  or  the  two  altars.     1  Kings,  18:  1-40,  .     .  154 

27.  Elijah,  or  the  rain.     1  Kings,  18  :  41-46  ;  19  :  1-8,  163 

28.  Elijah,  or  the  call  of  Elisha.     1  Kings,  19  :  9  to  end,  168 

29.  Elijah,  or  the  vineyard  of  Naboth.     1  Kings,  21  ; 

22 :  34-36  ;  2  Kings,  9  :  30-37, 173 

30.  Elijah,  or  the  three  captains.     2  Kings,  1,  .     .     .  181 

31.  Elijah,  or  the  chariot  of  fire.     2  Kings,  2  :  1-15,  186 

32.  Elisha,  or  the  bears.     2  Kings,  2  :  23-25  ;  4 :  1-7,  192 

33.  Elisha,  or  the  little  room.     2  Kings^  4:  8-37,     .      198 

34.  Elisha,  or  the  little  maid.     2  Kings,  5,    .     .     .     .207 

35.  The  last  king  of  Israel,  and  his  people.     2  Kings, 

17  :  1-24, 215 

36.  Hezekiah,  or  the  king  who  trusted   in   God.     2 

Kings,  18  ;  19, .  217 

87.  Nebuchadnezzer,  or  the  golden  image.     2  Chron. 

36  :  11-20;  Daniel  3, 222 

38.  Belshazzar,  or  the  *  mine;  on  the  walk     l)aniel  5    231 

39.  Daniel,  or  the  den  of  lions.     Daniel  6,    .     .     .     .  237 

40.  The  return  to  Jerusalem     Ezra  1 ;  3 ;  6 :  14  to  end,  246 


PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 


LESSON   I. 

SAMUEL      OR    THE    PIOUS    MOTHER. 

1  Samuel,  1 ;  2  :  1-11. 

You  have  heard,  my  dear  children,  how  the 
Israelites  came  into  the  land  of  Canaan.  I 
shall  now  tell  you  what  happened  to  them  in 
Canaan,  after  Joshua  was  dead.  Do  you  know 
who  was  their  King  ?  God  was  their  King. 
Joshua  was  not  their  King,  though  he  used  to 
tell  them  what  God  wished  them  to  do.  Af- 
ter  Joshua  was  dead,  there  were  other  men 
who  told  them  what  God  wished  them  to  do ; 
but  God  was  their  King. 

Do  you  remember  that  the  tabernacle  was 
placed  in  Shiloh  ?  The  high-priest  lived  in 
Shiloh,  that  he  might  offer  sacrifices  in  the 
tabernacle. 

I  am  now  going  to  *ell  you  of  a  high-priest 
called  Eli 


0  PRECEPT  UPON   PRECEPT. 

Eli  was  a  very  good  old  man.  A  great 
many  people  used  to  oome  up  every  year  to 
Shiloh,  to  worship  God  at  the  tabernacle. 

Among  the  people  who  came  up  to  worship 
at  the  tabernacle,  there  was  a  man  who  had 
two  wives.  You  know  that  people  might 
have  two  wives  a  long  while  ago,  though  they 
must  not  have  two  now. 

One  of  these  wives  was  a  very  good  woman, 
and  she  was  called  Hannah ;  but  she  had  no 
little  child.  The  other  wife  was  unkind  and 
wicked ;  but  she  had  a  great  many  children. 
The  unkind  wife  laughed  at  Hannah,  and  said, 
that  God  gave  Hannah  no  child  because  He 
did  not  love  her.  This  was  not  true,  for  God 
loved  Hannah  very  much.  Poor  Hannah 
used  sometimes  to  cry  when  the  other  wife 
spoke  so  unkindly  to  her. 

Once  when  Hannah  had  come  to  Shiloh, 
and  the  other  wife  had  been  laughing  at  her, 
poor  Hannah  went  to  the  tabernacle  to  pray 
to  God.  Eli  was  in  the  court  of  the  taber 
nacle.  He  was  sitting  upon  a  high  seat,  and 
he  saw  Hannah  come  into  the  court.  Now 
poor  Hannah  was  praying  to  God  in  a  very 
low  voice,  and  her  eyes  were  red  with  weep- 


SAMUEL — THF    FIOUS   MOTHER.  7 

ing.  When  Eli  saw  Hannah,  he  thought  she 
had  been  drinking  wine,  and  he  spoke  roughly 
to  her,  and  said,  Why  do  you  not  leave  ofl 
drinking  wine?  How  much  ashamed  poor 
Hannah  must  have  been,  when  Eli  said  this 
to  her  before  all  the  people.  But  she  an- 
swered very  meekly,  and  said,  I  have  not  been 
drinking  wine ;  I  have  been  praying  to  God, 
for  I  am  very  unhappy. 

When  Eli  heard  this,  he  spoke  kindly  to 
her,  and  said,  May  God  give  you  what  you 
have  been  asking  for. 

What  had  poor  Hannah  been  praying  for  ? 
She  had  been  praying  for  a  little  child,  and 
she  had  been  promising  God  to  bring  him 
up  to  serve  God,  and  to  teach  people  about 
God. 

Hannah  was  very  glad  when  Eli  spoke  so 
kindly  to  her,  and  she  wiped  away  her  tears, 
and  she  went  home  looking  quite  happy. 
You  see,  dear  children,  that  it  is  a  good  thing 
to  pray  to  the  Lord  when  we  are  unhappy. 
I  hope  you  do  so  when  you  are  sick,  or  when 
you  are  in  disgrace,  or  when  people  are  un- 
kind to  you 

Hannah  went  away  from  Shiloh  to  the  place 


8  PBECEPT    CJPON   PEECEPT. 

where  she  lived  in  Canaan,  and  God  gave  hei 
a  little  babe,  and  she  called  bis  name  Samuel* 

While  Samuel  was  a  babe,  Hannah  did  not 
go  up  to  Shiloh ;  but  when  he  was  a  little 
child  about  three  or  four  years  old,  she  took 
him  up  to  Shiloh  with  her. 

Hannah  did  not  forget  her  promise  to  bring 
up  her  child  to  teach  people  about  God ;  and 
she  did  not  mean  to  keep  him  always  at  home 
with  her,  though  she  loved  him  very  much  : 
for  she  wished  the  good  old  high-priest  Eli  to 
bring  him  up,  and  to  teach  him.  So  she 
brought  the  child  to  Eli,  and  said  to  him,  I 
am  the  woman  that  you  once  saw  in  the  court 
of  the  tabernacle,  praying  to  God ;  I  was  pray- 
ing for  this  child,  and  God  has  heard  my 
prayer,  and  I  wish  the  child  to  be  brought  up 
to  serve  God. 

Eli  took  the  little  boy  to  live  with  him. 
Hannah  sung  a  beautiful  song  of  praise  to 
God  for  His  goodness  in  hearing  her  prayers, 
and  then  she  left  her  dear  little  Samuel,  and 
she  went  home  again  with  her  husband. 

Do  you  think  she  ever  came  to  see  her 
child?  Yes,  every  year,  and  she  always 
brought  him  a  present  of  a  dress  such  as  the 


SAMUEL — THE   PIOUS  MOTHER.  9 

people  wore  in  those  days.    It  was  a  linen 

dress  down  to  his  feet,  and  it  had  long  sleeves, 
Samuel  used  to  wear  a  linen  ephod  also,  such 
as  the  priests  wore,  though  Samuel  was  not  a 
priest  himself.  God  had  put  his  spirit  into 
Samuel's  heart,  so  that  he  liked  serving  the 
Lord  in  the  tabernacle,  and  seeing  the  sacri- 
fices offered,  and  hearing  the  Lord  praised  by 
the  priests  and  the  people.  As  he  grew  older, 
he  pleased  God  more  and  more,  and  a  great 
many  people  loved  him.  How  glad  Hannah 
must  have  been  when  she  came  to  see  him,  to 
hear  that  he  was  a  good  child.  It  makes 
your  parents,  dear  children,  very  happy  to 
hear  that  you  are  good.  And  the  angels  are 
pleased  when  you  are  good,  and  Jesus  your 
Saviour  is  pleased.  I  hope  you  will  be  like 
little  Samuel,  and  be  God's  children  while  yon 
are  very  young. 

What  lovely  child  with  flowing  hair 

Old  Eli's  steps  attends  ?  • 

And  why  does  he  an  ephod  wear, 
As  by  the  priest  he  bends  ? 

It  is  the  child  to  Hannah  sent, 

When  humbly  she  implored— 
It  is  the  child  by  Hannah  lent 

To  her  prayer-hearing  Lord. 


10       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Nor  foolish  mirth,  nor  idle  sports, 
Young  Samuel's  heart  engage ; 

With  joy  he  treads  God's  holy  courts, 
E'en  from  his  tenderest  age. 

This  child,  with  heavenly  grace  endued, 
Was  lovely  in  man's  sight ; 

And  by  his  gracious  Saviour  viewed 
With  infinite  delight. 


SAMUEL — THE  LITTLE  PROPHET.         11 

LESSON  II. 

SAMUEL,  OR  THE  LITTLE  PROPHET. 

1  Samuel,  2 :  18,  to  end. 

You  have  heard,  dear  children,  how  Sam- 
uel lived  with  old  Eli  at  Shiloh. 

They  did  not  live  in  the  tabernacle,  but  in 
some  tents  very  near  it. 

You  would  like  to  know  whether  Eli  had 
any  children  of  his  own.  He  had  two  sons, 
who  were  grown-up  men,  and  they  were 
priests,  and  offered  sacrifices  at  the  altar. 

I  suppose  you  think  that  Eli's  sons  were 
good,  because  Eli  was  good ;  but  I  am  sorry 
to  tell  you,  that  they  were  very  wicked  men. 
They  did  not  love  God,  they  only  cared  for 
eating,  and  amusing  themselves;  and  they 
did  not  wish  to  please  God.  Eli  was  good 
himself,  but  he  did  not  punish  his  wicked 
sons,  and  that  was  very  wrong  in  Eli.  God 
has  told  fathers  to  beat  their  children  with 
the  rod,  to  save  them  from  going  to  hell.  My 
dear  children,  do  your  parents  punish  you 
when  you  Ml  into  passion,  or  are  disobedient, 
or  tell  lies?  They  punish  you  to  make  yon 
good. 


12       PRECEPT  UPON  PBECEPT. 

Eli  heard  of  the  wicked  things  that  hia 
sons  did ;  and  he  said  to  them,  Why  do  you 
such  wicked  things  ?  Every  body  tells  me 
of  your  wickedness.  0  my  sons,  the  Lord 
will  be  very  angry  with  you,  and  will  punish 
you.  But  Eli's  sons  would  not  mind  what 
their  father  said,  but  went  on  in  their  bad 
ways. 

At  last  a  good  man  came  to  Eli,  and  told 
him  that  God  was  very  angry,  and  that  he 
would  let  both  his  sons  be  killed  in  one  day. 

It  must  have  grieved  Eli  to  hear  this.  God 
was  displeased  with  Eli  for  not  having  pun- 
ished his  sons.  Yet  Eli  was  a  good  man,  and 
God  loved  him. 

The  two  sons  went  on  in  their  wickedness. 
And  now  you  shall  hear  something  else  that 
God  said. 

One  evening  old  Eli  was  lying  in  bed ;  and 
little  Samuel  was  lying  in  another  bed  a  little 
way  oi£  Samuel  heard  a  voice  calling  him, 
Samuel  I  Samuel  thought  that  Eli  called 
him,  and  he  answered,  Here  am  I ;  and  then 
he  got  out  of  bed,  and  ran  to  Eli,  to  know 
what  he  wanted.  You  see  what  a  kind  little 
child  Samuel  was,  and  how  ready  he  was  to 
wait  upon  old  Eli. 


SAMUEL — THE  LITTLE  PBOPHET.         18 

But  Eli  said  to  Samuel,  I  did  not  caJ.  you. 
Then  Samuel  went  and  lay  down  again. 

Soon  afterwards  Samuel  heard  some  one 
call  again,  Samuel !  So  he  went  again  to  Eli, 
and  said,  Here  am  I,  for  you  did  call  me. 
But  Eli  said,  I  did  not  call,  my  son ;  lie  down 
again. 

Then  Samuel  lay  down,  and  he  soon  heard 
the  voice  again  saying,  Samuel !  Then  he 
felt  sure  that  it  was  Eli  who  called  him,  and 
he  went  to  him,  and  said,  Here  am  I,  for  you 
did  call  me. 

Now  Eli  knew  who  it  was  who  had  called 
Samuel. 

My  dear  child,  do  you  know  who  it  was  ? 
It  was  the  Lord. 

So  Eli  told  Samuel  to  lie  down  again,  and 
when  he  heard  the  voice,  to  answer,  Speak, 
Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth.  Samuel  was 
to  call  himself  God's  servant. 

So  Samuel  went  and  lay  down  again,  and 
soon  the  Lord  came  and  stood  by  him,  and 
called  as  before,  Samuel,  Samuel !  Then 
Samuel  answered,  Speak,  for  Thy  -servant 
heareth.  God  had  never  spoken  to  »?«unuel 
before.  Samuel  must  have  longed  ***  know 
2 


14       PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

what  the  Lord  had  to  say  to  him.  It  was 
something  very  sad  and  dreadful;  it  was 
about  EH 

God  told  Samuel  that  he  should  soon  pun- 
ish Eli's  sons  for  their  wickedness,  and  that 
he  was  displeased  with  Eli  for  not  having 
punished  them. 

After  God  had  done  speaking,  Samuel  re- 
mained in  his  bed,  and  Eli  did  not  call  him. 
Samuel  did  not  like  to  tell  Eli  that  Grod  was 
displeased  with  him. 

So  when  the  morning  came,  Samuel  did 
not  go  to  Eli,  but  began  to  open  the  doors 
round  about  the  tabernacle ;  for  it  was  Sam- 
uel's business  to  open  the  doors.  Soon  Eli 
called  Samuel ;  for  he  wanted  to  know  what 
God  had  said  to  Samuel.  Eli  begged  Samuel 
to  tell  every  thing  to  him,  and  to  hide  nothing 
from  him.  Then  little  Samuel  told  Eli  all 
that  God  had  said. 

How  grieved  Eli  must  have  been  when  he 
heard  that  the  Lord  would  punish  his  sons, 
and  that  the  Lord  was  displeased  with  him ; 
but  Eli  answered  very  meekly,  and  said,  Let 
the  Lord  do  what  He  pleases.  Eli  really  loved 
God,  though  he  had  done  one  wrong  thing. 


SAMUEL — THE  LITTLE   PROPHET.         15 

After  this,  God  often  spoke  to  Samuel,  and 
told  him  how  he  would  punish  wicked  peo- 
ple ;  and  Samuel  used  to  tell  people  what 
God  had  said,  and  all  that  Samuel  told  them 
came  true.  Samuel  was  a  prophet :  a  prophet 
is  a  person  to  whom  the  Lord  tells  what  He 
means  to  make  happen. 

People  paid  great  attention  to  what  Samuel 
said,  but  still  many  people  went  on  doing 
wicked  things.  The  people  in  Shiloh  were 
very  wicked,  and  God  determined  soon  to  pun- 
ish them,  as  well  as  Eli's  sons.  But  God  loved 
Samuel.     What  a  happy  child  Samuel  was. 

My  dear  children,  do  not  you  wish  that 
God  loved  you  ?  If  you  love  Him,  I  am  sure 
that  He  loves  you ;  for  He  has  said,  "  I  love 
them  that  love  me."  Pray  to  God  to  make 
you  love  Him  a  great  deal  more,  and  to  make 
you  good  like  Samuel.  I  hope  that  you  will 
never  be  like  Eli'n  wicked  sons. 

What  voice  salutes  young  Samuel's  ear, 

So  like  to  Eli's  gentle  tone  ? 

Oh  I  let  the  child  no  danger  fear, 

It  is  the  Lord  from  Heaven  come  down. 

And  why  does  he  to  Samuel  speak  ? 
On  him  the  Lord  has  poured  his  grace, 
And  made  him  holy,  wise,  and  meek, 
And  fit  to  till  a  prophet's  place. 


16       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

With  grief  he  hears  of  dreadful  woes 
The  sons  of  Eli  soon  shall  feel ; 
But  dreads  the  message  to  disclose, 
Till  Eli  bids  him  all  reveal. 

Such  was  the  tender,  gentle  child 

To  whom  these  honors  high  were  given ; 

On  him  the  great  Jehovah  smiled, 

And  deigned  to  speak  with  him  from  heaven. 

CHI  LD. 

0  Lord,  renew  my  infant  heart, 
Which  is  by  nature  hard  and  vain, 
That  I  may  act  a  lowly  part, 
And  grieve  to  cause  another  pain. 


SAMUEL — THBABK.  17 

LESSON  III. 
SAMUEL,  OR  THE  ARK  IN  THE  BATTLE. 

1  Samuel,  4  :  1-18. 

I  shall  tell  you  to-day  how  God  punished 
Eli's  sons ;  but  first  I  must  speak  to  you  of 
some  people  who  lived  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
called  the  Philistines. 

The  Philistines  lived  in  some  of  the  towns 
of  Canaan ;  they  were  wicked  people,  who 
worshipped  idols,  and  they  hated  the  Israel- 
ites :  they  often  fought  against  the  Israelites, 
and  took  away  their  things.  When  God  was 
pleased  with  the  Israelites  He  did  not  let  the 
Philistines  hurt  them,  but  now  He  was  angry 
with  the  Israelites. 

One  day  a  great  number  of  Philistines 
came  out  of  their  towns  to  fight  against  the 
Israelites.  They  brought  some  tents  with 
them,  and  slept  in  them  at  night.  The  Is- 
raelites heard  that  the  Philistines  were  com- 
ing to  fight  against  them ;  so  a  great  number 
of  Israelites  took  their  swords  and  spears,  and 
placed  their  tents  near  the  tents  of  the  Philis- 
tines. In  the  morning  the  Philistines  and 
9* 


18       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

the  Israelites  fought  with  each  other.  Who 
do  you  think  conquered?  The  Philistines. 
Yes ;  God  did  not  help  the  Israelites  as  He 
used  to  do,  so  the  Israelites  were  frightened, 
and  ran  back  into  their  tents. 

Now  the  Israelites  ought  to  have  prayed  to 
God  to  forgive  their  sins  ;  but  instead  of  pray- 
ing, they  said,  Let  us  send  for  the  ark  of  God. 
If  the  ark  were  here,  we  should  be  able  to 
conquer  the  Philistines. 

You  remember  that  the  ark  was  a  golden 
box,  on  which  Goi  sometimes  sat  in  a  cloud. 
But  would  the  ark  save  them  ?  No ;  only 
God  can  save  people. 

The  Israelites  sent  a  person  to  Shiloh  to 
ask  the  priests  to  bring  the  ark  to  the  tents. 
The  sons  of  Eli,  you  know,  were  priests. 
They  brought  the  ark  to  the  tents  of  the  Is- 
raelites. When  the  Israelites  saw  the  ark, 
they  were  delighted,  and  they  gave  a  very 
loud  shout  to  show  their  joy.  The  shout 
could  be  heard  a  great  way  off.  The  Philis- 
tines heard  the  shout ;  and  they  asked  why 
the  Israelites  shouted.  Soon  they  heard  that 
the  ark  of  the  God  of  Israel  was  come  to  the 
tents  of  the  Israelites.    Then  the  Philistines 


SAMUEL — THE  ARK.  19 

were  afraid,  and  they  said,  If  the  G  od  of  the 
Israelites  should  help  them,  what  should  we 
do?  .or  their  God  once  killed  Pharaoh  and 
all  his  men,  and  He  could  kill  us  too.  Oh !  let 
us  be  very  brave,  and  let  us  fight  with  all  our 
strength. 

So  the  Philistines  and  the  Israelites  came 
out  of  their  tents  to  fight,  and  the  priests 
brought  the  ark  on  their  shoulders. 

But  God  did  not  help  the  Israelites.  They 
were  soon  afraid,  and  ran  back  to  their  tents, 
and  a  great  many  of  them  were  killed ;  and 
the  two  sons  of  Eli  were 'killed,  as  God  had 
said.     What  became  of  the  ark  of  God  ? 

The  Philistines  took  it.  How  pleased  they 
were  to  get  the  ark.  They  carried  it  back  to 
the  towns  where  they  lived. 

Eli  had  not  come  to  the  battle.  He  had 
stayed  in  Shiloh :  he  was  very  unhappy  about 
the  ark.  He  wanted  to  know  what  had  be- 
come of  it ;  so  he  sat  upon  a  high  seat  just  at 
the  gate  of  Shiloh. 

At  last  a  man  came  running  along  the  road : 
he  had  been  fighting  in  the  battle,  and  he 
came  to  tell  the  people  in  Shiloh,  all  that  had 
happened.     He  had  put  dust  upon  his  head, 


20.  PRECEPT   UPON  PRECEPT. 

and  he  had  torn  his  clothes,  to  show  that  he 
had  sad  news  to  tell ;  for  people  used  to  put 
dust  on  their  heads,  and  to  tear  their  clothes 
when  they  were  unhappy.  But  Eli  was  very 
old,  and  he  was  blind  and  did  not  see  the  man : 
and  he  did  not  know  that  the  man  had  sad 
news  to  tell.  When  the  man  told  the  people 
in  Shiloh  what  had  happened,  the  people  cried 
out  very  loud  with  grief ;  and  Eli  heard  them 
crying,  and  asked  why  they  cried :  then  the 
man  answered,  I  am  just  come  from  the  place 
where  the  Israelites  were  fighting.  Then  Eli 
said,  what  has  happened  there  ?  Then  the 
man  said,  The  Israelites  have  run  away  from 
the  Philistines,  and  a  great  many  Israelites 
have  been  killed,  and  your  two  sons  are  dead, 
and  the  ark  of  God  is  taken. 

When  Eli  heard  that  the  ark  was  taken,  he 
was  very  unhappy  indeed :  he  was  sitting  on 
a  high  seat  that  had  no  back,  and  he  fell  back- 
wards in  his  grief,  and  broke  his  neck ;  for  he 
was  a  very  old  man,  and  very  heavy.  He  was 
almost  a  hundred  years  old. 

What  a  very  sad  way  of  dying  this  was, 
instead  of  dying  in  his  bed. 

How  grieved  Samuel  must  have  been,  when 


SAMUEL — THE  ARK.  21 

he  heard  how  Eli  had  died  I  Where  did  Eli's 
soul  go  ?  To  heaven.  Eli  loved  Grod  very 
much. 

Why  was  Eli  so  sorry  that  the  ark  was 
taken?  Because  the  ark  was  the  throne 
where  God  used  to  sit,  and  he  did  not  wish 
wicked  people  to  have  it ;  so  you  see  that  Eli 
loved  God  very  much. 

Where  had  the  souls  of  Eli's  sons  gone  ?  I 
know  they  had  gone  into  darkness ;  for  God 
had  said  that  He  would  not  forgive  them. 

But  God  forgave  Eli  all  his  sins,  though  He 
punished  him  before  he  died. 

You  will  like  to  hear  what  the  Philistines 
did  with  the  ark  of  God.  I  will  tell  you 
about  it  in  the  next  lesson. 

THE     ARK     IN     THE     BA1TU, 

Was  it  because  his  sons  had  perished, 
That  Eli's  heart  with  grief  was  torn? 
Rather  because  the  ark  so  cherished 
By  heathen  hands  away  was  borne ; 
That  holy  ark,  where  oft  between 
The  cherubim  the  Lord  was  seen. 

Ajid  had  the  Lord  at  length  departed 
From  Israel  whom  He  loved  so  well? 
Alas !   old  Eli,  broken-hearted, 
From  his  high  soat  astonished  felL 


22       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Oh !  who  can  doubt  he  loved  the  Lord, 
And  that  to  heaven  his  spirit  soared  ? 

But  though  his  sins  were  all  forgiven, 
And  washed  away  in  Jesus'  blood, 
His  way  had  been  less  rough  to  heaven, 
Had  Eli  honored  more  his  God. 
But  sinners,  where  shall  they  appear  f 
For  righteous  men  are  punished  hem. 


SAMUEL — THE   GOD   DAGON.  23 

LESSON   IV. 
SAMUEL,    OR    THE    GOD    DAGON. 

1  Samuel,  5 ;  6 ;  7:4. 

Do  you  not  wish  to  know  what  the  Philis 
tines  did  with  the  ark  ? 

They  were  much  delighted  at  getting  the 
prk  of  the  God  of  Israel ;  for  they  knew  that 
he  was  a  very  great  God.  The  Philistines 
took  the  ark  to  one  of  their  cities,  or  towns  , 
and  they  put  it  in  the  house  of  their  idol, 
Their  idol's  name  was  Dagon.  The  Philis- 
tines had  made  an  image  like  a  man,  and  they 
called  it  Dagon  ;  and  they  had  built  a  house 
for  Dagon,  and  they  had  set  Dagon  up  on  a 
high  place  ;  so  they  used  to  come  and  worship 
Dagon  very  often  in  this  house. 

The  Philistines  left  the  ark  all  night  in  the 
house  of  Dagon:  the  next  morning,  they  got  up 
early,  and  went  into  the  idol's  house.  But  what 
do  you  think  they  saw  when  they  went  in  ? 

They  saw  their  idol  Dagon  fallen  down 
from  the  high  place,  and  lying  upon  his  face 
before  the  ark. 

Who  had  thrown  Dagon  down  ?  It  was  God, 


24       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

who  wished  to  show  the  Philistines  that  He  was 
stronger  than  idols,  and  that  He  hated  idols. 

The  Philistines  were  not  quite  sure  that  it 
was  Grod  who  had  thrown  Dagon  on  the 
ground  ;  so  they  lifted  up  Dagon,  and  set  him 
in  his  place  again  near  the  ark ;  and  they  left 
him. 

The  next  morning  they  rose  up  early,  and 
came  into  the  idol's  house.  What  do  you 
think  they  saw  this  time  ? 

Dagon  had  fallen  down  again  upon  his  face 
before  the  ark ;  and  this  time  Dagon  was  brok- 
en :  his  head  and  his  hands  were  broken  off 
from  his  body.  The  Philistines  were  very 
3orry  their  idol  was  broken.  I  do  not  know 
whether  they  mended  their  idol,  or  whether 
they  set  him  up  again ;  but  Grod  soon  made 
something  much  worse  happen  to  the  Philis- 
tines. Grod  made  them  very  ill  indeed,  and 
full  of  pain.  They  said  to  one  another,  What 
shall  we  do  with  the  ark  ?  for  it  shall  not  stay 
in  this  city  any  longer.  So  they  sent  it  to 
another  city,  where  some  other  Philistines 
lived.  What  do  you  think  happened  to  the 
people  of  that  city  when  the  ark  of  God  was 
•ome  into  it  ? 


SAMUEL — THE   GOD   DAGON.  25 

They  fell  very  ill  indeed,  and  a  great  many 
of  them  died.  So  the  people  of  the  city  sent  it 
to  another  city  of  the  Philistines.  The  people 
of  the  other  city  were  very  much  frightened 
when  they  saw  the  ark  coming :  they  said,  We 
shall  die,  now  the  ark  is  brought  here. 

Soon  they  fell  very  ill,  and  a  great  many  of 
the  people  died,  and  the  city  was  full  of  peo- 
ple groaning  and  crying. 

At  last  the  Philistines  thought  they  would 
send  the  ark  back  to  the  Israelites ;  but  they 
did  not  feel  quite  sure  that  the  God  of  Israel 
had  been  angry  with  them  for  keeping  the  ark. 

Had  the  God  of  Israel  been  angry  with 
them  ?  Yes,  my  dear  child  ;  you  know  that 
it  was  God  who  had  made  them  so  ill,  and 
who  had  killed  so  many  of  them. 

The  Philistines  made  a  plan  for  sending 
back  the  ark.  This  was  their  plan.  They 
said,  We  will  put  the  ark  in  a  cart,  and  we 
will  take  two  cows  that  have  never  drawn  a 
cart  before  ;  and  we  will  tie  them  to  the  cart, 
and  we  will  shut  up  their  calves  in  this  place 
where  we  live.  No  one  shall  drive  the  cows, 
but  we  will  see  what  they  will  do.  If  the 
God  of  Israel  is  so  great,  He  can  make  the 


26       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

cows  take  the  ark  back  to  the  Israelites.  If 
the  cows  leave  their  calves,  and  go  to  the  place 
where  the  Israelites  live,  then  we  shall  be  quite 
sure  that  it  was  the  God  of  Israel  who  made 
us  so  ill,  to  punish  us  for  keeping  the  ark. 

This  was  the  plan  of  the  Philistines.  They 
nad  heard  how  God  once  sent  plagues  on  Pha- 
raoh, and  the j  were  afraid  lest  God  should  do 
the  same  to  them.  They  said,  We  will  no1 
harden  our  hearts,  as  Pharaoh  and  the  people 
of  Egypt  did. 

-The  Philistines  took  two  cows  that  gave 
milk,  and  tied,  them  to  the  cart,  and  shut  up 
their  calves  at  home,  and  they  laid  the  ark  of 
God  upon  the  cart,  and  they  watched  to  see 
what  the  cows  would  do. 

Then  God  made  the  cows  do  a  wonderful 
thing.  They  drew  the  cart,  without  being 
driven,  along  the  road  which  led  to  the  place 
where  the  Israelites  lived.  They  lowed  as  they 
went,  and  never  once  turned  out  of  the  road. 

Some  of  the  Philistines  followed  the  cart. 

At  last  the  cart  came  to  a  place  where  some 
of  the  Israelites  were  reaping  corn  in  a  field. 
These  Israelites  looked  up,  and  saw  the  cart 
coming,  and  soon  they  saw  the  -ark,  and  then 


SAMUEL- -THE  GOD  DAGON".  27 

tney  were  very  glad  indeed.  The  cows  brought 
the  cart  into  the  field,  and  then  stopped  by 
the  side  of  a  great  stone. 

The  Israelites  saw  that  it  was  God  who  had 
sent  the  ark  back  to  them  again ;  so  they 
wished  to  offer  a  sacrifice  unto  God  to  thank 
Him.  They  took  the  ark  out  of  the  cart  and 
placed  it  on  the  great  stone,  and  they  took  the 
cart  and  cut  it  up  for  wood  for  a  sacrifice ; 
and  they  killed  the  two  cows,  and  burned  them 
as  a  sacrifice,  because  it  was  God  who  had 
made  the  cows  bring  the  ark  back. 

The  Philistines  were  much  surprised  at  the 
wonderful  thing  that  God  had  done,  and  they 
went  back  to  their  own  land.  Ought  they 
not  to  have  left  off  worshipping  idols,  when 
they  saw  how  great  the  God  of  Israel  was  ? 

Yes,  they  should  have  burned  their  idols 
when  they  got  home,  and  only  worshipped  the 
true  God.  But  they  did  go  on  worshipping 
idols,  and  God  was  angry  with  them  for  it. 

And  the  Israelites  did  a  thing  that  dis- 
pleased God  very  much.  They  looked  into 
the  ark.  God  did  not  allow  any  body  to  look 
into  the  ark.  You  know  what  there  was 
inside  the  ark.  The  book  of  stone  in  which 
the  ten  commandments  were  written 


28       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

God  is  very  angry  when  people  dare  to  dis- 
obey Him;  so  He  made  those  Israelites  fall 
very  ill,  and  a  great  many  of  them  died.  Then 
they  were  afraid  of  keeping  the  ark  in  their 
city,  and  they  sent  messages  to  some  other 
Israelites  to  come  and  take  it ;  and  they  came 
and  took  it,  and  put  it  in  the  house  of  a  man. 
This  man  lived  upon  a  hill,  and  he  and  his  son 
took  care  of  the  ark  in  one  of  the  rooms  of 
his  house. 

Do  you  know  why  the  ark  was  not  sent 
back  to  the  tabernacle  at  Shiloh  ?  God  was 
angry  with  the  people  at  Shiloh  for  all  their 
wickedness.  The  people  in  Shiloh  had  wor- 
shipped idols,  and  so  God  would  not  let  the 
ark  go  back  to  Shiloh. 

It  was  very  kind  in  God  to  let  the  ark  come 
again  into  the  place  where  the  Israelites  lived, 
and  all  the  people  in  Israel  who  loved  God 
were  very  glad  that  the  ark  had  come  back. 

Philistines  dared  with  heathen  pride 
To  set  the  ark  by  Dagon's  side, 
Within  their  idol's  temple  walls ; 
The  door  they  close — 
Lo,  Dagon  bows, 
And  on  his  face  he  falls. 


SAMUEL — THE  GOD  DAGON.  29 

In  vain  they  set  him  up  again ; 

He  can  not  near  the  ark  remain : 

Ah !  see,  he  trembles  where  he  standi 

Falls  from  his  place 

With  dire  disgrace, 
And  breaks  his  head  and  hands. 

CHILD. 

And  are  some  children  taught  to  pr*y 
To  such  a  god  as  fell  that  day  t 
My  parents,  in  my  babyhood, 
Instructed  me 
To  bow  the  knee 
To  Israel's  mighty  God. 

Oh !  may  I  be  more  wise  and  good 

Than  those  who  worship  stone  and  woof  - 

For  every  sin  the  Lord  abhors, 

And  He  will  cast 

In  hell  at  last 
All  those  who  break  His  Ism 

8* 


tO       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON  V. 
SAUL,    OR    THE    KING 

1  Samuel,  8 ;  9 ;  10. 

Who  was  the  King  of  the  Israelites  ?  God 
was  the  King  of  the  Israelites.  When  Samuel 
was  grown  up  to  be  a  man,  he  was  called  a 
judge ;  but  he  was  not  a  king.  He  used  to  tell 
the  people  what  God  wished  them  to  do ;  and  he 
used  to  punish  bad  people.  Moses  had  once 
been  the  judge  of  Israel,  and  Joshua  had  once 
been  the  judge,  and  Eli  had  once  been  the 
judge.  Now,  Samuel  was  called  the  judge. 
H  e  did  not  sit  on  a  throne,  or  weai  a  crown, 
as  kings  do  ;  and  he  always  asked  God  to  tell 
hi  m  what  the  people  ought  to  do,  and  then  he 
told  the  people  what  God  had  said.  The  Is- 
raelites ought  to  have  be*en  very  glad  that  God 
was  their  King.  No  other  king  was  as  good 
and  as  great  as  He  was. 

You  will  be  sorry  to  hear,  that  at  last  they 
grew  tired  of  having  God  for  their  King.  They 
said,  We  should  like  to  have  a  king  that  would  * 
go  out  to  battle  before  us.  They  wanted  to 
have  a  king  that  they  could  see.  So  they  came 
to  Samuel,  and  said.  Give  us  a  king. 


SAUL— THE  KING.  31 

Samuel  was  very  sorry  to  hear  this,  and  lie 
went  and  prayed  to  the  Lord.  Do  you  think 
that  God  would  let  the  Israelites  have  a  king  ? 
Yes,  he  would :  He  was  displeased  with  them 
for  wishing  for  a  king ;  but  as  they  wanted  a 
king,  God  said  they  should  have  one. 

So  Samuel  called  the  Israelites  together  to 
speak  to  them,  and  then  he  said,  God  will  let 
you  have  a  king;  but  this  is  the  way  in  which 
the  king  will  treat  you.  He  will  make  your 
sons  work  for  him :  some  of  them  will  run  be- 
fore his  chariots ;  and  some  will  make  swords 
and  spears  for  him,  and  some  will  plough  his 
ground,  and  reap  his  corn  ;  and  some  of  your 
daughters  will  bake,  and  cook,  and  make  nice 
things  for  him  to  eat ;  and  he  will  take  away 
many  of  your  fields,  and  gardens,  and  corn, 
and  sheep  from  you,  and  give  them  to  whom 
he  pleases ;  and  then  you  will  be  sorry  that 
you  wished  for  a  king,  and  you  will  cry  to 
God,  and  He  will  not  hear  you. 

Did  the  Israelites  still  wish  for  a  king?  Yes, 
they  would  not  mind  what  Samuel  said ;  but 
they  cried  out,  We  will  have  a  king. 

Then  all  the  people  went  home. 

Who  do  you  think  would  say  what  man 
was  to  be  king  ? 


82       PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

God  was  to  choose  the  king  ;  and  God 
would  tell  Samuel  who  was  to  be  king. 

I  shall  tell  you  about  the  man  whom  God 
chose  to  be  the  king  of  Israel. 

There  was  a  young  man  whose  father  had 
some  fields,  and  sheep,  and  cows,  and  asses. 
One  day  three  asses  were  lost ;  so  the  young 
man  went  to  look  for  them  among  the  hills 
and  fields.  The  young  man's  name  was  Saul. 
He  took  a  servant  with  him,  and  he  looked  for 
the  asses  a  long  while,  but  he  could  not  find 
them.  At  last  Saul  came  near  the  city  where 
Samuel  lived. 

The  servant  said  to  Saul,  I  have  heard  that 
there  is  a  man  in  that  city  who  is  a  prophet : 
all  he  says  comes  true.  Let  us  ask  him  where 
the  asses  are.  Then  Saul  said  to  his  servant, 
Come,  let  us  go.  So  Saul  and  the  servant  went 
into  the  city,  and  as  they  went  along  they  met 
Samuel.  Saul  and  the  servant  had  never  seeD 
Samuel  before ;  so  they  did  not  know  who  he 
was.  Samuel  was  an  old  man,  and  his  hail 
was  long,  and  he  used  to  wear  a  cloak. 

Saul  spoke  to  this  old  man,  and  said,  Can 
you  tell  me  where  the  prophet's  house  is  ? 

gamuel  answered^  I  am  the  prophet 


SAUL— THE   KING.  83 

Did  Samuel  know  who  Saul  was  ?  Yes,  he 
did ;  for  though  Samuel  had  never  seen  him 
before,  God  had  told  Samuel  that  he  would 
meet  a  man  just  at  that  time,  who  was  to  be 
the  king  of  Israel.  Samuel  knew  who  Saul 
was,  and  he  knew  that  Saul  wanted  to  ask 
him  where  the  asses  were. 

Before  Saul  had  told  him  that  he  had  lost 
some  asses,  Samuel  said,  The  asses  that  you 
lost  three  days  ago  are  found.  And  Samuel 
told  Saul  that  he  had  a  great  deal  to  say  to 
him,  and  that  he  must  come  home  with  him 
that  evening,  and  that  he  would  let  him  go 
away  the  next  morning. 

So  Saul  and  the  servant  went  to  Samuel's 
house,  and  Samuel  took  Saul  to  the  top  of  his 
house,  and  talked  to  him  alone ;  but  I  do  not 
know  what  he  said  to  him. 

The  next  morning  they  all  got  up  very  early, 
as  soon  as  it  was  light,  and  Samuel  walked  with 
Saul  and  the  servant  through  the  city.  When 
they  were  come  to  the  outside  of  the  city,  Sam- 
uel said  to  Saul,  Bid  the  servant  pass  on  before. 
So  the  servant  passed  on  before ;  and  Samuel 
and  Saul  stood  still  together  quite  alone. 

Then  Samuel  took  a  bottle  of  oil,  that  he 


84       PBEOEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

had  brought  with  him,  and  poured  it  on  Saul'i 
bead,  and  said  to  him,  Grod  has  chosen  thee  to 
be  king  over  Israel. 

Why  did  Samuel  pour  the  oil  upon  Saul's 
head?  It  was  as  a  sign  that  he  was  to  be 
the  king.  Pouring  oil  upon  a  person  is  called 
anointing  him. 

After  Samuel  had  anointed  Saul,  they  parted 
from  each  other.  Saul  went  on  his  way,  and 
returned  to  his  friends :  but  he  did  not  tell  any 
one  that  he  was  to  be  the  king  of  Israel. 

Soon  afterwards  Samuel  called  all  the  Is- 
raelites together,  to  tell  them  who  was  to  be 
the  king. 

Samuel  told  them  that  it  was  very  wicked 
in  them  not  to  like  to  have  Grod  for  their  King, 
but  still  he  said  they  should  have  a  king. 

Samuel  showed  the  people  who  was  to  be 
the  king.  When  the  people  saw  Saul,  they 
were  very  much  pleased,  for  he  was  taller  than 
any  of  the  Israelites:  no  one  else  reached 
higher  than  his  shoulder.  The  Israelites 
wished  to  have  a  king  that  would  look  very 
grand  when  he  went  out  to  battle. 

The  Israelites  shouted  when  they  saw  hini| 
and  cried  out,  Grod  save  the  king  I 


SAUL — THE   KING.  85 

When  the  people  had  seen  their  king,  they 
went  home  to  their  houses. 

Yon  will  soon  hear  what  sort  of  a  king  San] 
vas,  whether  he  loved  God,  or  whether  he 
lid  not. 

Did  the  Israelites  deserve  to  have  a  good 
king  ?  No.  How  ungratefully  they  had  be- 
haved to  Grod,  who  had  been  so  kind  to  them. 
How  ungrateful  they  were  to  Samuel,  who  had 
been  their  judge.  But  Samuel  was  not  angry 
with  them,  he  was  only  sorry  that  they  were 
wicked.  Samuel  went  on  teaching  them  and 
persuading  them  to  be  good. 

Do  you  not  hope  to  find  that  Saul  was  a 
good  king  ? 

Are  foolish  Israel  weary  grown 
Of  their  great  King  above— 
Of  Him  who  chose  them  for  His  own 
And  blessed  them  with  His  love  ? 
Oh !  where  can  they  another  find 
So  wise,  so  powerful,  or  so  kind  ? 

But  foolish  Israel  long  to  be 
Like  heathen  nations  round ; 
To  hare  a  king  whom  they  can  see. 
With  earthly  splendor  crowned  ; 
Who  in  the  battle  shall  appear 
And  fill  their  enemies  with  fear. 


PRECEPT   UPON  PKECEPT. 
v 


Oh !  may  I  never  weary  grow 

Of  those  sweet,  pleasant  ways 

In  which  I  have  been  taught  to  go, 

E'en  since  my  infant  days ; 

And  may  I  never  wish  to  be 

Like  those  who  care  not,  Lord,  for  Thet 

Let  me  not  join  the  careless  throng 

Who  break  the  Sabbath-day ; 

Nor  waste  my  youth  in  dance  and  song 

Decked  out  in  garments  gay  ; 

But  let  me  leave  each  earthly  thing, 

And  cleave  to  God  my  heavenly  King, 


SAUL'S  DISOBEDIENCE.  87 

LESSON    VL 
BAUL,    OR    THE    DISOBEDIENT    DEED. 

1  Samuel,  15. 

I  have  told  you  how  God  made  Saul  the 
king  of  Israel.  Saul  sat  upon  a  throne  and 
wore  a  crown,  and  went  to  battle  in  a  chariot. 
He  was  a  brave  man,  and  could  fight  well 
against  wicked  soldiers  who  tried  to  hurt  the 
Israelites. 

Samuel  used  often  to  come  and  see  him,  and 
advised  him  to  serve  God.  l  Samuel  wished 
Saul  to  be  good,  and  he  often  prayed  for  him. 

At  last  Grod  chose  to  see  whether  Saul 
would  do  all  He  desired  him  to  do.  You  re- 
member how  God  once  tried  Abraham ;  and 
how  Abraham  did  what  God  desired  him,  be* 
cause  he  loved  God.  What  was  it  that  Saul 
was  to  do  ? 

There  were  some  wicked  people  who  lived 
near  the  land  of  Canaan,  called  the  Am-a-lek- 
ites.  God  was  displeased  with  them,  and  He 
chose  that  they  should  all  be  killed. 

One  day  Samuel  came  to  Saul,  and  said  to 
•him,  God  commands  you  to  go  and  fight 
4 


88       PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

4gainst  tlie  Amalekites,  and  kill  them  aD, 
men,  women,  and  children,  and  oxen,  and 
sheep,  and  camels,  and  asses. 

Saul  got  a  great  army  of  Israelites,  and 
Tent  to  the  Amalekites,  and  conquered  them. 
'Then  Saul  ordered  his  soldiers  to  kill  them 
with  their  swords,  as  God  had  told  him.  But 
he  thought  he  should  like  to  take  the  king  of 
the  Amalekites  back  to  Canaan  with  him ;  so 
he  would  not  let  him  be  killed.  I  think  Saul 
liked  to  bring  the  king  home  with  him,  be- 
cause he  thought  it  was  a  grand  and  fine  thing 
to  have  a  king  shut  up  near  him  in  Canaan. 
Neither  did  Saul  kill  the  fat  and  strong  oxen, 
and  sheep ;  he  only  killed  those  that  were 
thin  and  weak.  Saul  wished  to  be  rich,  and 
to  have  a  great  many  cattle. 

Did  Saul  obey  God?  No;  Saul  did  not 
love  God ;  so  Saul  did  not  wish  to  obey  Him. 

My  dear  children,  if  you  love  God  you  will 
like  to  obey  Him. 

That  night  God  spoke  to  Samuel,  and  told 
him  that  He  was  much  displeased  with  Saul. 

Samuel  was  grieved  to  hear  this,  and  he 
prayed  to  God  all  night 

The  next  morning  Samuel  went  to  look  for 


SAUL'S  DISOBEDIENCE.  39 

Saul,  for  God  had  told  him  many  things  that 
he  must  say  to  him. 

Saul  did  not  know  that  Samuel  knew  of 
his  wickedness ;  so  he  tried  to  make  Samuel 
think  that  he  had  done  all  that  God  had  told 
him. 

When  Saul  saw  Samuel  he  pretended  to  be 
glad  to  see  him,  and  said,  I  have  done  the 
commandment  of  the  Lord.  Then  Samuel 
said,  What  is  this  bleating  of  sheep,  and  low- 
ing of  oxen  that  I  hear  ? 

Now  Saul  saw  that  Samuel  knew  what  he 
had  done.  He  saw  it  would  be  of  no  use  to 
say,  that  he  had  not  saved  the  sheep  and  ox- 
en, so  he  began  to  make  excuses  for  himself. 

Saul  said,  It  was  the  people  who  would  not 
kill  the  fat  sheep  and  oxen. 

Was  it  the  people  who  had  saved  the  sheep 
and  oxen  ?  Had  not  Saul  saved  them  too  ? 
And  why  did  Saul  let  the  people  do  wicked- 
ly ?  Was  he  not  the  king  ?  Should  he  not 
have  made  them  do  what  was  right  ? 

Would  God  have  those  sheep  and  oxen  to 
be  offered  in  sacrifice  to  Him  ?  No ;  God 
would  rather  that  Saul  should  obey  him,  than 
that  he  should  offer  sacrifices. 


4:0  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Then  Samuel  told  Saul  that  God  was  very 
angry  with  him,  and  did  not  mean  to  let  him 
be  king  much  longer. 

Saul  was  very  much  frightened  when  he 
heard  that  God  would  punish  him,  and  he 
said  to  Samuel,  Do  stay  and  pray  to  G-od  with 
me.  But  Saul  was  not  really  sorry ;  he  was 
only  afraid  of  being  punished.  Samuel  knew 
that  he  was  not  sorry  for  having  offended  Grod, 
who  had  been  so  good  to  him,  and  Samuel 
would  not  stay  with  him.  Then  Saul  took 
hold  of  Samuel's  cloak,  to  hinder  him  from 
going  away,  and  he  tore  the  cloak. 

Samuel  stopped,  and  said  to  Saul,  God  has 
torn  the  land  of  Canaan  from  you,  and  He  has 
given  it  to  a  man  that  is  better  thaD  you  are. 
Grod  has  done  it  already,  and  He  will  not 
change  His  mind. 

Saul  begged  Samuel  very  much  to  stay 
with  him,  and  to  pray  to  God  with  him,  that 
the  people  might  not  know  that  God  was 
angry  with  him.  You  see  that  Saul  cared 
more  about  what  people  thought  of  him,  than 
about  God's  being  pleased  with  him. 

At  last  Samuel  said  that  he  would  worship 
God  with  him. 


SAUL'S  DISOBEDIENCE.  41 

Then  Samuel  desired  to  see  the  king  of  the 
Amalekites,  whom  Saul  had  saved  alive. 

This  king  was  a  very  wicked,  cruel  man, 
and  God  chose  that  he  should  be  killed.  He 
had  hoped  that  as  Saul  had  not  killed  him, 
he  should  not  die ;  but  Samuel  took  a  sword 
and  killed  him. 

Then  Samuel  left  Saul,  and  he  never  came 
to  see  him  any  more ;  but  he  still  was  very 
sorry  to  think  that  he  was  so  wicked. 

I  hope,  my  dear  children,  that  when  you 
offend  God,  you  will  feel  sorry.  If  you  love 
God,  you  will  not  like  to  displease  Him.  Saul 
did  not  love  God ;  he  only  cared  about  being 
punished. 

Do  you  know  whom  God  intended  to  make 
king  instead  of  Saul?  I  will  soon  tell  you 
his  name.  You  will  see  he  was  a  better  man 
than  Saul. 

Why  was  it  so  wicked  in  Saul  not  to  kill 
the  king  of  the  Amalekites,  and  the  fat  cattle  ? 
Because  God  had  told  him  to  kill  them.  We 
ought  to  do  what  God  tells  us  to  do.  Has  He 
told  you  to  kill  wicked  people  ?  No ;  but  He 
has  told  you  to  pray  to  Him,  and  to  be  kind, 
and  to  speak  truth,  and  a  great  many  things 
besides.  4* 


42  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

u  Oh !  turn  once  more,  and  pray  with  me," 
King  Saul  exclaimed  most  earnestly. 
Oh  I  why  does  he  thus  sorrow  show ; 
Why  fear  to  see  the  prophet  go  ? 

Alas !  he  has  such  evil  done, 
That  God  will  chase  him  from  his  throne  I 
Nor  will  the  Lord  in  mercy  spare, 
Nor  listen  to  the  prophet's  prayer. 

Saul  does  not  of  his  sin  repent, 
But  merely  dreads  the  punishment ; 
And  could  he  still  retain  his  throne, 
He  would  not  heed  God's  holy  frown. 


0  Lord !  when  I  have  broke  thy  laws, 
Is  my  heart  only  grieved  because 

1  fear  lest  Thou  should  plunge  my  goal 
Where  fiery  waves  forever  roll  ? 

Or  is  it  grieved  because  I've  sinned 
Against  a  God  so  good  and  kind  ? 
Do  I  feel  thus  ?     Then  by  this  sign 
I  knew  that  I'm  a  child  of  Thine. 


Of  all  that  ever  flocks  have  fed, 
Since  first  the  earth  was  green, 

One  shepherd's  life-blood  freely  shed 
For  his  lost  sheep  has  been  ; 

When  to  the  cross  and  through  the 
grave 
He  went,  to  seek  them  and  to  save. 


P.  upon  P. 


SHEPHERD  AND  WOLF. 


THE  YOUNG  SHEPHERD.  4A 

LESSON  VII. 

DAVID,  OR  THE  YOUNG  SHEPHERD. 

1  Samuel,  16  :  1-14. 

Samuel  did  not  know  whom  God  meant  to 
make  king  instead  of  Saul.  At  last  God  said 
to  him,  Fill  a  horn  with  oil,  and  go  to  Jesse 
who  lives  in  Bethlehem,  for  I  have  chosen 
one  of  his  sons  as  the  king. 

Jesse  was  an  old  man,  and  he  had  a  great 
many  sons,  who  were  grown  up  to  be  men, 
Samuel  found  Jesse  and  his  sons  in  Bethle- 
hem. Then  Samuel  looked  at  the  eldest  of 
Jesse's  sons,  to  see  whether  he  was  the  man 
that  God  had  chosen  to  be  king. 

Now  this  son  was  a  very  tall,  fine-looking 
man,  who  seemed  fit  to  be  a  king,  and  Sam- 
uel thought  to  himself,  Surely  this  is  the  one 
that  God  will  choose  for  me  to  anoint. 

But  God  told  Samuel  that  He  had  not  cho- 
sen him.  God  does  not  care  how  a  person 
looks,  but  God  cares  for  the  heart.  Now  the 
heart  of  Jesse's  oldest  son  did  not  please  God, 
and  this  time  God  was  going  to  choose  a  king 
▼ho  loved  Him  in  his  heart. 


44       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Then  Samuel  looked  at  Jesse's  second  son ; 
but  when  he  saw  him,  he  said  that  God  had 
not  chosen  him.  Then  Samuel  looked  at  the 
third  son;  but  God  had  not  chosen  him. 
Then  he  looked  at  the  fourth ;  neither  had  God 
chosen  him.  Then  Samuel  looked  at  the  fifth, 
next  at  the  sixth,  and  last  of  all  at  the  seventh; 
and  jet  God  had  not  chosen  any  of  them. 

So  Samuel  said  to  Jesse,  Have  you  any 
more  children  ? 

And  Jesse  answered,  I  have  one  more 
child,  the  youngest,  and  he  is  keeping  the 
sheep.  Then  Samuel  said,  Send  and  bring 
him  :  I  want  to  see  him  immediately. 

So  Jesse  sent  a  person  to  desire  this  young- 
est son  to  come  to  him. 

The  name  of  this  son  was  David.  He  was 
not  a  grown-up  man,  but  only  a  boy.  He 
had  a  beautiful  color  on  his  cheeks,  and  his 
eyes  had  a  pleasant  look. 

But  did  he  love  God  in  his  heart  ?  Yes ; 
he  did  love  God. 

When  he  came  in,  God  said  to  Samuel, 
Arise  and  anomt  him;  for  this  is  he.  So 
Samuel  took  the  horn  of  oil  and  anointed 
him,  while  his  seven  brothers  stood  by. 


THE  YOUNG  SHEPHEBD.  45 

Then  Samuel  went  back  to  his  own  house. 

Yon  will  hear  a  great  deal  about  David. 
God  did  not  mean  that  he  should  become  king 
for  a  long  while ;  but  David  knew  that  he 
certainly  should  be  king  one  day.  He  went 
on  keeping  his  father's  sheep.  As  he  watched 
them,  he  played  on  his  harp,  and  sung  sweet 
songs  of  praise  to  God.  His  songs  are  called 
psalms. 

Do  you  think  that  David  wished  to  be 
king  ?  I  do  not  think  he  wanted  to  sit  on  a 
throne,  and  to  wear  a  crown,  but  I  know  that 
he  would  like  to  call  people  together  to  praise 
God.  When  David  was  king,  he  could  have 
people  taught  about  God ;  and  he  could  be 
kind  to  poor  people,  and  he  could  punish 
wicked  people. 

When  Samuel  poured  the  oil  on  David's 
head,  God  made  His  spirit  come  on  him  to 
make  him  very  wise  and  brave,  and  fit  to  be 
a  king ;  for  it  is  God  who  makes  people  w\ar 
and  brave. 

Old  Jesse's  sons  in  order  due 
Once  passed  before  the  prophet's  view : 
The  eldest  son,  of  stately  height, 
Was  not  accepted  in  God's  sight. 


46       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Six  others  came,  by  Jesse  led, 
Yet  on  their  heads  no  oil  was  shed. 

Where  was  that  fairer,  younger  ono, 
Whom  God  would  place  on  Israel's  throne  1 
Beside  his  father's  flock  he  stayed, 
And  on  his  harp  he  sweetly  played : 
On  him  the  holy  oil  was  poured, 
For  he  was  chosen  of  the  Lord. 

'Twas  not  his  lovely  form  or  face, 

That  made  him  with  the  Lord  find  grace ; 

But  God,  who  every  secret  knew, 

Saw  in  his  heart  affection  true, 

That  still  His  gracious  favor  sought, 

And  on  His  loving-kindness  thought 

The  holy  Samuel  could  not  tell 
Which  son  the  Lord  approved  well : 
Men  see  our  looks,  our  words  they  hear, 
But  can  not  know  whose  heart's  sincere. 
The  Lord  into  each  bosom  piies, 
And  pierces  through  each  fair  disguise. 


Oh !  tell  me,  Lord,  my  real  state, 
Lest  I  should  knock  at  heaven's  gate, 
And  hear  a  voice  within  declare 
That  I  can  never  enter  there. 
Oh  1  has  my  heart  been  born  again ; 
Or  do  I  still  in  sic  remain? 


_j2i  -pry  ■  ■  •:-^jis»ri'''J7,>v '^ 


DAVID — THE  HARP.  47 

LESSON  VIII. 

DAVID,    OR    THE    HARP. 

1  Samuel,  16 :  14,  to  end. 

Did  Saul  know  who  was  to  be  king  matt,ad 
of  him?  No  ;  Samuel  did  not  tell  Sa  iL  what 
he  had  done.  Saul  would  have  been  very 
angry,  if  he  had  known  that  David  had  been 
anointed ;  but  he  did  not  know  it. 

Yet  Saul  was  very  unhappy.  God  had  let 
a  wicked  spirit  come  into  him.  Saul  felt 
frightened  and  uneasy,  so  that  he  could  not 
rest.  He  lived  in  a  fine  house  called  a  palace, 
but  this  did  not  make  him  happy;  he  had 
many  servants  to  wait  upon  him,  but  they 
could  do  him  no  good.  You  see,  my  dear 
children,  what  a  sad  thing  it  is  to  offend  God. 
God  can  make  people  happy,  and  He  can  make 
them  unhappy. 

What  should  Saul  have  done  when  he  was 
so  unhappy  ?  He  should  have  prayed  to  God 
to  forgive  him.  But  he  did  not  love  praying 
to  God. 

Saul's  servants  saw  that  he  had  a  wicked 
spirit  in  him,  and  they  said  to  him,  Shall  we 


48       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

look  for  a  man  who  can  play  very  sweetly  on 
the  harp  ?  Perhaps,  if  yon  were  to  listen  to 
very  sweet  mnsic,  yon  might  get  well. 

Then  Sanl  answered  his  servants,  Look  for 
snch  a  man,  and  bring  him  to  me. 

Whom  conld  the  servants  send  for  ?  One 
of  the  servants  had  heard  of  David,  and  he 
said  to  Sanl,  I  have  seen  one  of  the  sons  oi 
Jesse,  who  lives  at  Bethlehem,  and  he  can 
play  beautifully  on  the  harp;  and  besides 
this,  he  is  a  very  brave  young  man,  and  he 
can  speak  very  wisely,  and  he  is  very  hand- 
some ;  and  God  loves  him :  shall  I  send  for 
him? 

Saul  said  that  he  would  have  this  young 
man  sent  for.  Some  of  Saul's  servants  went 
to  Jesse  and  said,  King  Saul  wishes  to  see 
your  son  David,  who  takes  care  of  the  sheep. 

Jesse  said  that  David  might  go :  and  he 
told  David  to  take  a  present  to  king  Saul. 
What  was  the  present  ?  Some  bread,  a  kid, 
which  is  a  young  goat,  and  a  bottle  of  wine. 
David  put  all  these  things  upon  an  ass,  and 
brought  them  to  Saul.  When  Saul  saw  David 
he  loved  him  very  much.  Perhaps  Saul  loved 
him  because  he  had  a  sweet  look,  and  could 


DAVID — THE    HARP.  49 

play  well  on  the  harp ;  but  God  loved  him 
because  David  wished  to  please  Him. 

Saul  liked  David  so  much  that  he  wished 
David  to  stay  with  him  a  long  while,  and  to 
be  always  near  him.  So  Saul  sent  a  message 
(o  Jesse,  to  say  that  he  wished  to  keep  him. 

David,  very  often  played  to  Saul  upon  the 
tiarp,  and  when  David  played  he  grew  better, 
and  at  last  he  grew  quite  well. 

At  last  David  went  away  from  Saul,  and 
fed  his  father's  sheep  as  he  used  to  do. 

I  think  David  liked  taking  care  of  his  fa- 
ther's sheep  better  than  living  with  Saul ;  for 
Saul  was  wicked,  and  many  of  his  servants 
were  wicked. 

David  was  very  happy  when  he  was  alone, 
thinking  about  God.  Did  you  ever  hear  any 
of  David's  psalms  ?  In  one  of  his  psalms  ha 
calls  God  his  Shepherd.  David  took  gre?t 
care  of  his  sheep,  and  led  them  to  places 
where  green  fresh  grass  grew,  and  to  smooth 
and  clear  water  ;  and  he  made  them  lie  down 
on  the  softest  grass  in  cool  places  by  the 
river's  side.  While  David  was  taking  so 
much  care  of  his  sheep,  he  thought  that  God 
took  still  more  care  of  him ;  and  he  said,  The 


50       PRECEPT  UPON  PRE0EP1. 

Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want ;  He 
maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures,  and 
beside  still  waters.  What  are  pastures  ? 
Grass.  And  what  are  still  waters  ?  Smooth 
waters. 

Have  you  a  shepherd,  my  dear  children  ? 
I  hope  that  the  Lord  is  your  Shepherd  too, 
and  that  you  are  His  dear  little  lambs.  Jesus 
is  the  good  Shepherd,  who  died  to  save  you. 
He  loves  you  very  much,  and  wishes  to  make 
you  happy.  Do  you  wish  to  be  His  little 
lambs  ?  Jesus  will  be  so  kind  to  you,  he  will 
keep  you  from  Satan,  He  will  put  His  Spirit 
in  you,  He  will  comfort  you  when  you  are  un- 
happy, and  at  last  He  will  take  you  to  heaven. 

How  happy  those  little  children  are,  who 
love  Jesus. 


DAVID  AND   GOLIATH.  61 

LESSON    IX. 
DAVID,   OR  THE   GIANT  GOLIATH 

1  Samuel,  17  :  1-54. 

You  remember  wlio  the  Philistines  were. 
They  were  wicked  people,  who  lived  in  some 
of  the  cities  of  Canaan.  They  often  fought 
against  the  Israelites. 

One  day  a  great  number  of  Philistines  came, 
and  placed  their  tents  on  the  top  of  a  hill  in 
Canaan.  When  Saul  heard  it,  he  came  with 
a  great  number  of  Israelites,  and  they  placed 
their  tents  on  another  hill.  The  Philistines  and 
the  Israelites  could  see  each  other  in  their  tents, 
and  they  intended  to  fight  against  each  other ; 
but  they  did  not  choose  to  fight  immediately. 

There  was  one  man  among  the  Philistines 
whose  name  was  Goliath.  He  was  called  a 
giant,  because  he  was  very  tall  indeed.  He 
was  ten  feet  high. 

He  was  very  strong  and  big,  and  he  could 
fight  well.  He  wore  armor.  What  is  armor  ? 
clothes  made  of  iron,  and  brass  ;  people  used 
to  wear  armor,  that  arrows  and  swords  and 
spears  might  not  hurt  them  easily. 

He  wore  a  cap  of  brass  upon  his  head,  and 


52  PftECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

he  wore  a  coat  of  iron :  his  legs  were  covered 
with  brass.  He  held  a  great  spear  in  his  hand, 
and  he  had  a  great  sword  in  a  sheath  by  his 
side ;  and  a  man  went  before  him  with  a  shield 
What  is  a  shield  ?  It  is  a  great  piece  of  iron, 
or  brass,  like  a  large  traj,  which  men  used  to 
hold  before  their  faces  in  battle  to  prevent  the 
arrows  hurting  their  faces. 

This  giant  Goliath  thought  that  no  one  could 
kill  him.  Every  day  he  used  to  call  out  with 
a  loud  voice,  "Will  one  of  the  Israelites  come 
and  fight  with  me  ?  If  he  is  able  to  kill  me, 
then  all  the  Philistines  will  obey  the  king  of 
Isreal ;  but  if  I  kill  him,  then  the  Israelites 
must  obey  the  Philistines.  Is  there  any  man 
that  will  fight  with  me  ? 

Would  any  of  the  Israelites  fight  with  the 
giant? 

No  not  one.  When  Saul  heard  the  Philis- 
tine giant,  he  was  frightened,  and  all  the  Is- 
raelites were  frightened.  They  all  thought 
they  should  be  killed,  if  they  fought  with  the 
giant.  And  do  you  think,  that  if  one  of  them 
had  fought  with  him,  he  would  have  been 
killed?  Could  not  God  have  helped  the 
Israelites  to  conquer  ? 


DAVID   AND   U0L1ATH.  58 

IVhere  was  David?  Was  he  among  the 
tt  .its  of  Israel  ?  No ;  he  was  feeding  his  fa- 
ther's sheep,  bnt  David's  three  elder  brothers 
were  in  the  tents. 

One  day  Jesse  said  to  his  son  David,  Go  to 
the  tents  of  Israel,  and  see  how  your  brethren 
are;  and  take  with  yon  some  corn,  and  ten 
loaves,  as  a  present  for  yonr  brothers. 

So  David  rose  up  very  early,  and  left  his 
sheep  with  another  shepherd,  and  took  the  corn 
and  bread  with  him,  and  went  a  long  way,  till 
he  came  to  the  hill  where  the  tents  of  the  Is- 
raelites were.  Then  he  ran  to  look  for  his 
brothers.  As  he  was  talking  with  his  brothers, 
he  heard  a  man  speaking  in  a  very  loud  voice, 
saying,  Who  is  able  to  fight  with  me  ?  It  was 
the  giant  Goliath.  David  had  never  heard  the 
giant  speak  these  words  before,  but  the  people 
who  were  near  David  told  him  about  the  giant, 
and  they  said,  King  Saul  has  promised  to  give 
any  man  who  kills  the  giant  a  great  many 
things  as  a  reward. 

David  was  surprised  that  people  should  be 
afraid  of  fighting  with  the  giant,  because  he 
knew  that  God  could  help  an  Israelite  to  con- 
quer him,  but  he  knew  that  tne  gods  of  the 
6* 


64       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Philistines  could  not  help  them,  because  they 
were  only  idols ;  so  David  said,  Who  is  this 
Philistine,  that  he  should  speak  in  this  manner 
to  the  people  of  Q-od  ?  And  David  felt  in  his 
heart  that  he  should  not  be  afraid  to  fight  with 
the  giant. 

One  of  David's  brothers  heard  what  David 
said,  and  he  began  to  mock  David :  Why  did 
you  come  here  ?  Why  did  you  not  stay  with 
your  sheep  ?  But  David  answered  his  brother 
very  meekly. 

Yery  soon  some  one  went  and  told  Saul  that 
there  was  a  young  man^ome  to  the  tents,  and 
that  he  said  he  would  fight  with  the  giant. 
So  Saul  desired  the  young  man  to  be  brought 
before  him  ;  and  David  came  to  Saul.  Saul 
had  seen  David  before ;  but  Saul  had  forgotten 
him.  Saul  was  surprised  that  David,  who 
was  so  young,  should  wish  to  fight  with  the 
giant ;  and  he  said  to  him,  You  are  not  able 
to  fight  against  that  Philistine.  You  are  very 
young,  and  he  has  been  used  to  fight.  Then 
David  answered,  Once  when  I  was  keeping 
my  father's  sheep,  a  lion  came  and  took  a 
lamb  out  of  the  flock,  and  I  went  after  the 
lion,  and  met  him,  and  took  the  lamb  out  of 


DAVID  AND   GOLIATH.  55 

his  mouth  ;  and  when  the  lion  tried  to  kill 
me,  I  caught  him  by  his  hair  and  killed  him. 
And  once  a  bear  came  and  I  killed  him  too. 
I  shall  kill  this  Philistine,  as  I  killed  the  lion 
and  the  bear.  It  was  Gk>d  who  delivered  me 
from  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  of  the  bear,  and 
He  will  deliver  me  from  this  Philistine. 

You  see,  my  dear  child,  that  David  was  not 
proud  of  his  strength,  but  he  knew  that  God 
could  help  him. 

When  Saul  heard  David  speak  these  words, 
he  told  him  to  go  and  fight  the  giant.  But 
David  had  no  sword,  or  coat  of  iron,  so  Saul 
lent  him  his  own  armor,  and  his  own  sword ; 
he  put  a  cap  of  brass  on  David's  head,  and 
dressed  him  in  a  coat  of  iron.  But  David  had 
not  been  used  to  wear  armor ;  so  he  said  to 
Saul,  I  can  not  wear  this  armor.  And  he  took 
it  off  again  ;  neither  would  he  take  a  sword, 
or  a  spear.  He  went  to  the  brook  and  chose 
five  smooth  stones,  and  put  them  in  a  bag 
which  he  had,  and  took  the  bag  with  him,  and 
a  sling.  You  will  hear  what  he  did  with  the 
bag,  and  the  stones,  and  the  sling.  In  the 
other  hand  he  held  a  staf£  Then  David  went 
to  meet  the  giant. 


66       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

The  giant  heard  that  one  of  the  Israelites 
was  ready  to  fight  with  him,  and  he  came 
near  to  David :  a  man  with  a  shield  went  be- 
fore him. 

When  the  giant  looked  and  saw  David,  he 
was  surprised :  he  had  expected  to  see  a  great 
man  like  himself,  dressed  in  armor,  and  hold- 
ing a  spear  in  his  hand. 

But  David  was  very  young,  and  his  face 
was  rosy  like  a  child's,  and  he  only  wore  a 
shepherd's  dress,  and  he  held  a  staff  in  his 
hand. 

The  Philistine  giant  was  angry  when  he 
saw  him,  and  cursed  him,  and  used  very- 
wicked  words.  Then  he  began  to  laugh  at 
David,  and  said,  Come  to  me,  and  I  will  give 
your  flesh  to  the  birds  and  to  the  beasts  to  eat. 

But  David  wa«  not  afraid,  and  he  said  to 
the  giant,  You  have  a  sword,  and  a  spear, 
and  a  shield,  but  God  will  fight  for  me ;  and 
He  will  help  me  to  kill  you,  and  to  take  your 
head  from  you  ;  and  the  beasts  and  the  birds 
shall  eat  up  the  flesh  of  all  the  Philistines, 
and  every  body  will  see  that  the  God  of  Is* 
rael  is  the  true  God,  and  that  He  can  save 
whom  He  pleases. 

/-' 


DAVID  AND  GOLIATH.  57 

Then  the  Philistine  giant  came  still  nearer 
to  David,  and  David  ran  towards  him  quickly, 
and  put  his  hand  in  his  bag,  and  drew  out 
a  stone,  and  put  it  in  the  sling  that  he  had ; 
then  holding  one  end  of  the  sling,  he  threw 
the  stone  out  of  it  with  all  his  strength,  and 
the  stone  hit  the  giant  in  the  forehead,  and  it 
sunk  into  it,  and  the  giant  fell  upon  the  ground 
on  his  face. 

Then  David  ran  to  the  giant,  and  taking 
the  giant's  sword  out  of  its  sheath,  he  cut  off 
his  head.  When  the  Philistines  saw  what  a 
great  wonder  God  had  done,  they  were  fright- 
3ned ;  and  the  Israelites  shouted,  for  they  saw 
that  their  God  fought  for  them,  and  they  ran 
after  the  Philistines,  and  the  Philistines  tried 
to  run  away ;  but  the  Israelites  overtook  a 
great  many  of  them,  and  killed  them.  David 
showed  the  head  of  the  Philistine  to  a  great 
many  of  the  Israelites,  and  he  kept  the  armor 
that  the  Philistine  had  worn. 

Did  David  thank  God  for  helping  him  to 
conquer  the  giant?  Oh!  yes,  he  sung  God's 
praises  and  played  upon  his  harp.  David  did 
not  wish  people  to  praise  him;  be  wished 
every  body  to  praise  God.   He  wished  all  peo- 


5S       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

pie  to  say,  How  great  Goo.  is  1  He  helped  ti*d 
poor  young  shepherd  to  conquer  the  great 
giant. 

Proud  people  wish  to  be  praised ;  but  people 
who  love  God,  wish  people  to  praise  God.  If 
God  helps  you  to  do  good,  my  dear  children, 
you  ought  to  praise  God  for  helping  you  to  be 
good :  if  you  remember  things  you  are  taught, 
you  ought  to  praise  God  for  helping  you  to 
remember.  What  do  you  say  in  the  Lord's 
prayer  about  praising  God  ?  You  say,  Hal- 
lowed  be  Thy  name  ;  which  means,  Let  God's 
name  be  praised. 

Upon  those  hills  two  armies  stand, 

A  conflict  to  behold : 
The  shepherd  youth  has  raised  his  hand 

Against  the  giant  bold. 
A  stone  which  from  the  brook  he  fetched 

Now  gives  the  deadly  wound ; 
Ah !  see  the  great  Philistine  stietched 

Expiring  on  the  ground. 
It  was  the  power  of  God  alone 

Made  David's  arm  so  strong ; 
And  now  he  wakes  the  harp's  sweet  tone, 

And  pours  a  grateful  seng. 
Oh  I  that  all  nations  now  would  own 

That  God  can  save  from  death : 
Oh !  that  all  idols  now  were  thrown 

In  darkest  caves  beneath. 


DAVID — THE  JAVELIN.  59 

LESSON    X. 
DAVID,     OR     THE     JAVELIN. 

1  Samuel,  11 :  55,  to  end  ;  18  ;  19  : 1-10. 

Saul  was  very  glad  that  David  had  killed 
the  giant  Goliath.  David  was  brought  to  Saul 
that  Saul  might  speak  to  him.  He  came  in 
with  the  giant's  head  in  his  hand.  Then  Saul 
said  to  David,  Whose  son  are  you,  young 
man  ?  And  David  answered,  I  am  the  son  of 
Jesse,  who  lives  at  Bethlehem. 

While  Saul  was  talking  to  David,  there  was 
a  person  standing  near  whom  you  have  not 
heard  of  before  ;  it  was  the  son  of  Saul.  He 
was  a  grown-up  man,  very  brave,  and  very 
good;  his  name  was  Jonathan;  he  was  a 
prince,  because  he  was  the  king's  son ;  and 
the  king's  son  is  called  a  prince. 

Jonathan  began  to  love  David  very  much 
indeed.  What  could  make  Jonathan  love 
David  so  much?  I  think  he  loved  David 
because  David  was  so  brave  and  so  good 
David  had  also  a  very  sweet  look.  Still,  it 
was  God  made  Jonathan  love  David  so  much. 
Jonathan  told  David  that  he  loved  him,  and 


fiO       PRECEPT  OPOfr  PRECEI 

they  both  promised  always  to  be  kind  to  each 
other.  Jonathan  gave  his  own  clothes  to 
"David,  and  wore  other  clothes,  and  he  also 
gave  him  his  sword  and  his  bow. 

Saul  told  David  that  he  must  not  go  back 
to  live  with  his  father  again,  but  that  he  must 
stay  with  him.  So  David  and  Jonathan  saw 
each  other  very  often.  How  much  that  must 
have  pleased  them,  for  friends  like  to  be  to- 
gether. 

Perhaps  you  think  that  David  now  was 
very  happy.  But  there  was  one  thing  that 
soon  happened  to  make  him  sad.  I  will  tell 
you  what  it  was. 

After  the  Philistines  had  been  killed  in  the 
battle,  the  Israelites  went  back  to  their  homes, 
and  did  not  live  in  tents  any  more.  Saul,  and 
Jonathan,  and  David,  went  to  the  place  where 
the  king  lived.  As  they  were  going  along, 
they  saw  a  great  many  women  with  harps  in 
their  hands,  and  these  women  played  as  they 
went,  and  sung,  and  danced.  They  were  sing- 
ing about  David,  and  how  he  had  killed  the 
Philistines,  and  they  said  in  their  song  that 
David  had  killed  a  great  many  more  men  than 
SauL    These  are  the  words  they  sung;  Saul 


DAVID — THE   JAVELIN.  61 

has  slain  his  thousands,  and  David  his  ten 
thousands. 

Do  you  think  that  David  liked  to  hear  these 
songs  ?  No.  David  did  not  wish  to  be  praised ; 
he  wished  God  to  be  praised.  He  would  have 
liked  to  hear  the  women  say  that  God  had 
helped  a  poor  shepherd  to  kill  the  giant. 

But  when  Saul  heard  these  songs  he  was 
very  angry ;  for  he  wished  to  be  praised,  and 
he  could  not  bear  to  hear  David  praised  more 
than  himself.  What,  thought  Saul,  do  they 
say  that  David  has  killed  more  Philistines 
than  I  have  ?  Is  he  braver  than  I  am?  How 
wicked  Saul  was.  He  was  envious ;  he  was 
like  Joseph's  brothers,  and  he  was  like  Cain. 

Then  Saul  thought,  perhaps  David  is  the 
man  who  is  to  be  king  instead  of  me.  Saul 
remembered  that  Samuel  had  told  him  that 
God  had  chosen  a  better  man  than  he  was  to 
be  king. 

Did  Saul  guess  right  ?     Yes 

Then  Saul  hated  David,  and  wished  to  kill 
David.  Saul  had  these  wicked  thoughts  in 
his  mind  when  he  came  back  to  his  own  house. 
Instead  of  thanking  God  for  His  kindness  in 
having  helped  the  Israelites  to  conquer  the 
6 


62       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Philistines,  he  was  thinking  how  he  could  kill 
David. 

The  next  day  after  he  came  home,  God  let 
the  evil  spirit  come  into  him  again.  David 
saw  that  Saul"  was  ill,  and  unhappy.  How 
did  David  try  to  make  him  well  ? 

He  took  his  harp  as  he  used  to  do,  and  began 
to  play  sweet  music.  Now  Saul  had  a  sharp 
thing  in  his  hand  called  a  javelin ;  and  Saul 
thought  to  himself,  I  will  throw  this  at  David, 
and  it  shall  go  through  his  body.  But  David 
saw  the  javelin  coming,  and  he  slipped  out  of 
the  way,  so  that  Saul  did  not  hurt  him.  Then 
Saul  threw  it  at  him  again,  but  he  could  not 
hurt  David.     God  took  care  of  David. 

Every  one  but  Saul  loved  David,  and  this 
made  Saul  hate  him  still  more. 

David  behaved  so  well,  that  Saul  could  not 
find  any  fault  in  him,  for  which  he  could  pun- 
ish him.  Then  Saul'  told  David  to  take  some 
men,  and  to  go  and  fight  against  the  Philis- 
tines. Why  did  Saul  send  David  to  fight? 
Saul  hoped  that  the  Philistines  would  kill  Da- 
vid in  battle.  David  went  and  killed  a  great 
many  Philistines,  but  no  one  hurt  him.  Every 
body  praised  him  more,  and  called  him  bravfc 


DAVID — THE   JAVELIN.  63 

Saux  grew  more  angry.  At  last  Saul  told  all 
his  servants  to  kill  him ;  but  they  loved  Da- 
vid, and  would  not  kill  him.  Still,  Jonathan 
was  afraid  lest  some  wicked  person  should 
mind  Saul,  and  kill  David  ;  so  Jonathan  told 
David  to  hide  himself,  while  he  begged  his 
father  to  forgive  him.  So  Jonathan  said  to 
his  father,  Why  do  you  wish  to  kill  David  ? 
What  has  he  done  ?  Did  he  not  once  kill  the 
giant?  Then  you  were  glad:  why  are  you 
angry  with  him  now  ? 

It  was  kind  in  Jonathan  to  beg  for  David. 
It  is  kind  in  children  to  beg  for  each  other 
when  they  are  in  disgrace.  Saul  promised 
that  he  would  not  have  David  killed.  Then 
Jonathan  called  David  and  brought  him  to 
Saul,  and  David  was  with  him  as  he  used 
to  be. 

But  soon  Saul  began  to  hate  David  again, 
and  the  evil  spirit  was  on  him  still.  Then 
David  played  on  his  harp  to  make  him  well  : 
Saul  had  a  javelin  in  his  hand,  and  threw  it 
at  David ;  but  David  slipped  out  of  the  way, 
and  the  javelin  stuck  in  the  wall. 

Now  David  was  afraid  of  staying  any  more 
with  Saul ;  and  he  fled  away  that  night. 


64       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

He  did  not  go  back  to  his  father ;  for  Saul 
would  have  looked  for  him  there,  and  would 
have  found  him  ;  but  he  hid  himself  in  a  great 
many  places.  You  will  hear  of  many  sad 
things  that  happened  to  pooi  David.  But 
God  loved  him,  and  took  care  of  him.  But 
Saul  was  miserable,  for  he  was  proud  and 
envious  like  Satan. 

I  wish  you,  my  dear  children,  to  love  one 
another,  and  not  want  people  to  notice  you. 
I  hope  you  will  not  envy  one  another,  but  be 
glad  when  other  children  are  praised. 


DAVID — THE   CAVE.  66 

LESSON   XI. 

DAVID,  OR  THE  OAVK. 

1  Samuel,  24. 

When  David  fled  from  Saul  he  was  obliged 
to  leave  his  dear  friend  Jonathan.  David  and 
Jonathan  kissed  each  other  and  shed  many 
tears  when  they  parted ;  but  Jonathan  chose 
to  stay  with  his  father  king  Saul.  It  was 
right  in  Jonathan  to  stay  with  his  father. 
Where  did  David  hide  himself?  There  were 
very  high  hills  in  Canaan,  and  there  were 
large  holes  in  these  hills,  called  caves. 

Yery  few  people  lived  among  these  hills ; 
but  sheep  fed  upon  the  fresh  grass  that  grew 
on  them,  and  goats  leaped  and  sported  on  the 
tops  of  the  hills. 

David  was  not  alone.  His  brothers  came 
to  him,  besides  a  great  many  poor  people. 
These  people  liked  to  be  with  David,  to  help 
him,  because  Saul  had  desired  his  servants  to 
kill  David.  But  these  people  were  friends  to 
David.     David  had  God  for  his  friend  too. 

David  and  his  friends  lived  together  in  a 
large  cave ;  for  some  caves  are  very  large,  and 


66  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

will  hold  as  many  people  as  you  see  at  church 

on  Sunday. 

How  did  poor  David  and  his  friends  get 
food  ?  Kind  people  gave  them  food  ;  for  God 
made  some  people  love  David,  and  be  kind 
to  him,  Saul  was  very  angry  when  he  heard 
that  any  one  was  kind  to  David.  Saul  used 
often  to  tell  people  that  David  was  wicked, 
and  that  David  wished  to  kill  hhn.  Was 
that  true  ?  No.  Some  people  believed  what 
Saul  said,  and  thought  that  David  was  really 
wicked,  and  mocked  and  abused  David  when 
they  saw  him. 

Poor  David!  It  made  him  sad  to  think 
that  people  believed  that  he  wanted  to  kill 
Saul.  But  it  was  a  comfort  to  David  to  think 
that  God  knew  that  he  did  not  want  to  kill 
Saul.  So  David  used  to  comfort  himself  by 
praying  to  God.  He  sometimes  asked  God  to 
look  into  his  heart,  to  see  whether  he  wished 
to  kill  Saul.  David  had  his  harp  with  hin? 
in  the  cave  ;  he  often  sung  psalms,  and  praised 
God  for  keeping  him  from  being  hurt,  though 
so  many  people  were  watching  to  kill  him. 

David  did  not  always  live  in  the  same  cave, 
lest  wicked  people  should  tell  Saul  where  he 


DAVID — THE   CAVE.  67 

was  hid,  So  David  sometimes  hid  himseli 
among  the  thick  trees  in  the  wood,  and  some- 
times in  one  cave,  and  sometimes  in  another. 

Saul  took  a  great  many  soldiers,  and  came 
to  look  for  David  among  the  hills,  but  God  did 
not  let  Saul  find  him.  Saul  said  to  the  people 
he  met,  Have  you  seen  David  and  his  men  ? 
If  you  love  me,  you  will  xell  me  where  he  is, 
for  David  wants  to  kill  me.  Then  some  people 
would  tell  Saul,  He  is  in  the  cave  in  that  hill. 
But  when  Saul  got  to  the  place,  he  could  not 
find  David;  for  David  heard  that  Saul  was 
looking  for  him,  and  he  had  gone  to  another 
cave. 

Saul  was  almost  tired  of  looking  for  David, 
when  something  happened  which  you  will  like 
to  hear. 

Are  caves  dark  inside,  or  light?  Very 
dark ;  because,  though  there  is  a  hole  to  go 
in  at,  there  are  no  windows  to  let  in  the  light. 
One  day  David  was  in  a  very  large  cave  with 
his  men,  when  Saul  and  his  men  passed  that 
way.  Saul  did  not  know  that  David  was  in 
the  cave.  Had  he  known  it,  he  and  his  sol- 
diers would  have  killed  David,  and  all  his 
friends.     But   Saul   saw   the   cave,  and   he ' 


OS       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

wished  to  go  into  it  to  sleep  for  a  little  while ; 
so  he  left  his  men  outside,  and  came  in  quite 
alone.  David  and  his  men  saw  him  come  in, 
but  Saul  did  not  see  David  and  his  men,  be- 
cause they  were  in  the  dark  parts  of  the  cave. 
How  surprised  David  was  to  see  Saul.  David 
and  his  men  remained  very  quiet,  and  Saul 
lay  down  to  rest  himself.  Then  David's  men 
said  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  Now  you  can  kill 
Saul  if  you  wish  it.  Would  David  kill  Saul  ? 
No,  said  David,  I  will  not  hurt  the  man  whom 
God  made  king.  And  David  would  not  let 
his  men  hurt  Saul ;  but  he  went  gently  up  to 
Saul  as  he  lay  asleep,  and  cut  off  a  piece  ol 
his  clothes.  You  will  soon  learn  the  reason 
why  he  did  this. 

After  a  little  while  Saul  rose  up,  and  went 
out  of  the  cave  ;  and  he  and  his  men  went  on 
looking  for  David  among  the  hills.  Then 
David  came  out  of  the  cave,  and  called  in  a 
loud  voice  after  Saul,  My  lord  the  king  I 
Then  Saul  looked  behind  him,  and  David 
bowed  himself  down  to  the  ground.  How 
surprised  Saul  must  now  have  been  tc  see  Da- 
vid. Then  David  spoke  very  meekly  to  Saul, 
and  said,  Why  do  you  think  that  I  wish  to 


DAVID— THE  CAVE.  69 

kill  you  ?    You  came  into  the  cave  wheie  I 

was,  and  some  people  advised  me  to  kill  you ; 
but  I  would  not  do  it.  Then  David  held  up 
the  piece  of  Saul's  clothes  that  he  had  cut  off. 
Look,  my  father,  said  David,  at  this ;  I  cut  it 
off.  Could  I  not  have  killed  you?  Yes,  I 
could ;  but  I  would  not.  "Why  then  do  you 
hunt  after  me  ?  The  Lord  will  keep  me  safe, 
and  will  not  let  you  hurt  me. 

When  David  had  done  speaking,  Saul  said 
Is  that  your  voice,  my  son  David  ?  And  Saul 
began  to  weep.  He  had  once  loved  David, 
and  when  he  saw  how  good  David  was,  he  felt 
that  he  had  been  wicked;  but  he  did  not  feel 
sorry  that  he  had  offended  God. 

Yes,  said  Saul,  I  see  that  you  are  much 
better  than  I  am,  and  that  you  do  not  wish  to 
kill  me ;  and  I  know  that  you  will  be  king 
one  day. 

So  Saul  did  not  try  to  kill  David  that  day, 
and  he  left  off  looking  for  David,  and  went 
home  with  his  men  to  his  own  house. 

But  David  did  not  go  and  live  with  Saul, 
for  he  could  not  trust  him.  Once  before,  Saul 
had  promised  Jonathan  that  he  would  not  try 
to  kill  David  again,  and  yet  he  had  broken 


70       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

his  promise,  and  David  knew  that  perhaps  hfe 
would  soon  try  to  kill  him  again.  So  David 
went  back  to  his  cave. 

Saul  was  not  sorry  that  he  had  offended  God 
by  his  wickedness,  and  he  did  not  ask  God  to 
forgive  him,  and  to  give  him  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
so  Satan  soon  got  him  to  do  wicked  things 
again. 

Now  my  dear  children,  when  you  have 
been  naughty,  will  you  pray  to  God  to  for- 
give you ;  and  will  you  ask  Him  to  put  His 
Spirit  in  you  ? 

If  you  do  not  ask  God  to  make  you  good, 
the  devil  will  make  you  more  and  more 
wicked 

Where  wild  goats  sport  among  the  rocks, 
Where  shepherds  love  to  lead  their  flocka, 

And  find  the  freshest  grass, 
There  David  and  his  soldiers  brave, 
Within  a  deep  and  darksome  cave, 

Have  found  a  hiding-place. 

And  now  they  hear  the  sound  of  feet, 
And  to  the  cave's  dark  sides  retreat, 

And  there  in  silence  stand; 
But  who  is  this  that  comes  alone, 
And  in  the  cave  awhile  lies  down. 

Nor  sees  the  warlike  band  ? 


DAVID— THE   CAVE.  71 

Full  well  young  David  Jtaows  that  faoa ; 
Tis  his  who  goes  from  fKi.ce  to  place 

Seeking  his  blood  to  shed. 
And  shall  he  now  unsheath  his  sword? 
Oh  !  no ;  the  holy  oil  was  poured 

Upon  that  kingly  head. 
This  is  the  hour  that  David  may 
His  faithfulness  to  Saul  display — 

So  cuts  the  kingly  skirts  : 
This  skirt  will  prove  that  he  was  new, 
Yet  neither  lifted  sword  nor  spear 

To  do  his  monarch  hurt. 

CHILD. 

Jesus,  my  Lord,  thus  gently  Thou 
Didst  deal  with  wicked  men  betoir, 

Who  sought  Thy  blood  to  spill : 
Nor  will  I  let  my  anger  burn, 
But  kindness  ever  will 

To  those  who  do  m*  111 


T2  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT, 

LESSON    XII. 
DAVID,    OR    THE    SPEAR. 

1  Samuel,  26. 

You  know,  my  dear  children,  that  Saul  had 
left  off  looking  for  David,  after  David  had 
spoken  to  him.  But  Saul  soon  began  to  hate 
David  again.  One  day  some  wicked  men 
came  to  him,  and  said,  "We  can  tell  you  where 
David  has  hid  himsel£  "Was  it  not  very  un- 
kind in  the  men  to  tell  Saul  where  poor  David 
was?  David  had  done  them  no  harm,  yet 
they  behaved  in  this  manner  to  him. 

Saul  was  glad  to  hear  where  David  was, 
and  he  took  a  great  many  soldiers  with  him 
and  went  to  the  place  where  he  heard  David 
was.  Saul  did  not  know  the  very  place  where 
David  was,  but  he  knew  that  David  was  hid 
in  some  place  near. 

Saul  directed  his  men  to  set  up  their  tents 
on  a  hill,  and  to  dig  a  deep  ditch  all  round  the 
tents,  that  nobody  might  come  to  the  tents  to 
hurt  them.  In  the  night  Saul  and  his  men 
would  sleep  in  their  tents,  and  in  the  daytiaie 
they  would  look  for  David. 


DA.VID — THE  8PEAB.  73 

David  heard  that  Saul  was  come  to  look  for 
him.  How  sorry  David  must  have  been  to 
hear  this.  He  could  scarcely  believe  it ;  so 
he  sent  some  men  to  go  and  look,  to  see 
whether  Saul  was  really  come  ;  and  the  men 
came  back  and  told  David  that  they  saw  his 
tents  on  the  hill. 

Then  David  went  with  some  of  his  friends 
near  the  place  where  the  tents  were,  and  he 
said  to  his  friends,  who  will  go  with  me 
among  the  tents  ?  And  one  of  David's  friends 
said.  I  will  go  with  you.  Then  David  and  his 
friend  went  in  the  night,  and  walked  among 
the  tents;  but  no  one  saw  them,  or  heard 
them,  as  all  the  people  were  fast  asleep ;  for 
God  had  made  them  sleep :  even  the  people 
whom  Saul  had  desired  to  watch,  to  prevent 
any  body  coming,  even  they  had  fallen  fast 
asleep.  Gtod  did  not  choose  that  David  should 
be  hurt ;  therefore  he  made  the  people  sleep. 

David  got  over  the  great  ditch  that  had 
been  dug;  for  there  was  nobody  watching 
near  to  hinder  him. 

Into  which  of  the  tents  do  you  t  aink  David 
went?  Into  the  tent  of  Saul.  He  found  him 
deeping  on  his  bed ;  and  by  his  pillow  he  saw 


74       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

his  spear  stuck  into  the  ground,  and  a  jug  of 
water ;  and  he  saw  other  people  who  ought  to 
have  watched  over  him,  asleep  round  about 
him. 

Saul  little  knew  that  David  was  so  near  him, 
looking  at  him  as  he  slept. 

Then  David's  friend  said  to  him,  Let  me 
take  this  spear  and  kill  Saul ;  I  will  pierce 
his  body  through  in  a  moment. 

Would  David  kill  Saul? 

No,  said  David,  do  not  kill  him :  it  would 
be  very  wicked  to  kill  the  man  whom  God 
has  made  king.  When  God  wishes  him  to  die, 
God  will  make  him  die,  but  I  will  not  kill 
him.  Only  take  the  jug  of  water,  and  the 
spear,  and  let  us  go. 

So  they  took  the  jug  of  water  and  the  spear, 
and  they  went  away  from  the  tents ;  and  no- 
body woke  while  they  were  passing. 

Why  did  Dav'd  take  the  jug  and  the  spear  ? 
You  remember  why  he  had  once  cut  off  some 
of  Saul's  clothes.  It  was  for  the  same  reason 
he  now  took  the  jug  and  spear.  He  wished 
to  show  Saul  that  he  had  been  near  his  bed 
while  he  was  asleep,  and  that  he  might  have 
killed  him,  if  he  had  chosen  it. 

Then  David  went  down  the  hill  where  Saul's 


DAVID— THE  SPEAK.  75 

tents  "vr ere,  and  went  up  another  hill ;  so  there 
was  a  great  way  between  Saul  and  him ;  yet, 
if  David  spoke  loud,  Saul  could  hear  him. 
Then  David  cried  out  with  a  very  loud  voice 
to  the  men  that  were  sleeping  round  king 
Saul,  and  said,  Why  did  you  let  people  come 
near  the  king  while  he  was  asleep  ? 

You  know,  my  dear  children,  why  they  had 
not  watched ;  God  had  made  them  fall  asleep. 

Then  David  showed  the  people  the  king's 
spear  and  the  jug  of  water. 

When  Saul  heard  David's  voice,  he  remem- 
bered it,  and  wept. 

He  said,  Is  this  thy  voice,  my  son  David  ? 

And  David  said,  It  is  my  voice,  my  lo^d,  0 
King.  Why  do  you  go  on  looking  for  me  ? 
What  wickedness  have  I  done  ?  Have  any 
wicked  men  told  you  that  I  wish  to  hurt  you  ? 

Then  Saul  said,  I  have  sinned.  Go  to  your 
home  again.  I  will  never  hurt  you  again,  be- 
cause you  did  not  kill  me  to-day,  when  you 
might  have  done  it.  I  have  done  very  wickedly. 

Was  Saul  very  sorry  for  his  wickedness  ?  O 
no.  He  did  not  pray  to  God  to  forgive  him, 
and  make  him  good. 

Then  David  said,  Here  is  the  kingV  ipear, 
Send  one  of  your  servants  to  get  it 


76       PRECEPT  UPON  PKECEP1 

Why  would  not  David  bring  the  spear  to 
Saul  himself?  He  could  not  trust  Saul ;  he 
was  not  sure  that  Saul  would  not  kill  him. 

Saul  said,  Blessed  be  thou,  my  son  David. 
And  then  Saul  went  home,  but  David  went 
into  the  part  of  Canaan  where  the  Philistines 
lived,  that  Saul  might  not  be  able  to  hurt  him; 
and  God  made  the  Philistines  kind  to  David. 

David  ought  not  to  have  gone  to  live  with 
the  Philistines,  because  they  worshipped  idols. 
David  ought  to  have  trusted  in  God  to  keep 
him  safe  among  the  caves  and  hills. 

When  Saul  went  home  this  time,  did  he 
pray  to  God  to  keep  him  from  Satan,  and 
from  hating  David  again  ?  If  Saul  had  done 
this,  God  would  have  kept  him.  Let  me  tell 
you  again,  dear  children,  that  this  is  the  way 
to  grow  good.  It  is  not  enough  to  say,  I  will 
be  good ;  I  will  not  do  that  naughty  thing  anj 
more.  You  should  always  pray  to  God  to  keep 
you  from  wickedness.  For  Satan  is  a  great 
deal  stronger  than  you;  and  unless  God  is 
with  you,  Satan  can  lead  you  to  do  wicked 
things.  So,  my  dear  children,  if  you  wish 
not  to  mind  Satan,  ask  God  to'  put  his  Holy 
Spirit  into  your  hearts. 


DAVID — PROMISE  FULFILLED.  77 

LESSON    XIII. 

DAVID,    OR    THE    PROMISE    FULFILLED 

1  Samuel,  30 ;  2  Samuel,  1 ;  2:4-,  5  :  1-3. 

Where  did  David  at  last  go  to  hide  himself 
from  Saul  ?  To  the  land  of  the  Philistines. 
You  remember  hearing  of  the  Philistines; 
they  were  wicked  people  who  worshipped 
idols,  yet  God  made  them  kind  to  David,  and 
to  his  men. 

When  Saul  heard  that  David  was  gone  to 
the  Philistines,  he  went  to  look  for  him  no 
more ;  because  if  Saul  had  gone  to  them,  they 
would  have  tried  to  kill  him. 

The  time  had  now  almost  come  when  Saul 
must  die.     I  will  now  tell  you  how  he  died. 

You  know  that  the  Philistines  hated  the 
people  of  Israel,  and  used  to  fight  against 
them.  One  day  the  king  of  the  Philistines 
called  a  great  many  of  his  soldiers  together, 
and  took  them  to  a  place  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan where  they  might  fight  with  the  Israel- 
ites. When  Saul  heard  they  had  come,  he  took 
his  soldiers  and  went  to  fight  against  them. 
Saul's  good  son  Jonathan  went  with  his  fathef 
to  the  battle. 


78       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

The  Philistines  and  the  Israelites  fought  to- 
gether upon  some  hills.  Who  do  you  think 
conquered  ?  The  Philistines  conquered.  God 
was  angry  with  the  Israelites,  and  he  did  not 
help  them  to  conquer.  The  Israelites  ran 
away  from  the  Philistines ;  even  Saul  and  Jon- 
athan, though  they  were  very  brave,  ran  away ; 
and  the  Philistines  ran  after  them,  and  they 
killed  Jonathan.  And  did  they  kill  Saul? 
This  was  the  way  in  which  Saul  died.  Some 
men  with  bows  and  arrows  shot  at  him,  and 
some  of  the  arrows  went  into  Saul's  body,  so 
that  he  could  not  run  away  any  more :  yet 
Saul  was  not  killed  by  the  arrows ;  he  was 
only  very  much  hurt 

When  Saul  found  that  he  could  not  run 
away,  he  was  very  unhappy,  for  he  was  afraid 
that  the  Philistines  would  soon  get  hold  of 
him,  and  treat  him  very  cruelly ;  so  he  wished 
very  much  to  die  before  they  overtook  him. 
Then  Saul  said  to  one  of  his  soldiers,  Take 
your  sword,  and  run  it  through  my  body. 
Would  it  have  been  right  in  the  soldier  to  kill 
Saul?  If  your  brother  were  to  ask  you  to 
kill  him,  might  you  kill  him  ?  No ;  you  might 
not    God  has  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill." 


i)AVID — PROMISE   FULFILLED.  79 

The  soldier  would  not  kill  Saul.  Then 
Saul  took  his  own  sword,  and  fell  upon  the 
point  of  it ;  so  it  ran  through  his  body,  and 
he  died.  Was  it  right  in  Saul  to  kill  himself? 
Oh  I  no,  he  should  have  waited  till' God  made 
him  die.  It  is  very  wicked  in  people  to  kill 
themselves.  People  who  love  God  wait  till 
God  takes  away  their  breath. 

When  Saul  was  dead,  the  soldier  who  would 
not  kill  Saul  when  he  had  asked  him,  fell  upon 
his  sword,  and  died  with  him.  The  soldier 
saw  Saul  do  a  wicked  thing,  and  he  did  the 
same. 

The  Philistines  went  on  running  after  the 
Israelites  all  that  day,  and  they  killed  a  great 
many. 

The  next  day  the  Philistines  went  to  the 
hills  where  they  had  been  fighting,  to  look  at 
the  dead  people  who  were  lying  there.  They 
found  Saul's  dead  body,  and  Jonathan's  dead 
body.  How  pleased  they  were  to  find  that  the 
king  and  his  brave  son  were  dead.  But  oh  ! 
how  shamefully  they  treated  their  bodies. 
They  cut  off  Saul's  head :  they  stripped  ofl 
Saul's  armor  of  iron  and  brass,  and  they  sent 
his  head  and  his  armor  to  all  the  places  where 


80       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

the  Philistines  lived;  and  the y praised  theil 
idols,  and  said  that  their  idols  were  greater 
than  the  God  of  Israel,  because  they  said  their 
idols  had  helped  them  to  conquer  the  Israel- 
ites. Then  they  took  Saul's  armor,  and  put  it 
in  one  of  the  houses  where  they  worshipped 
idols ;  and  they  fastened  his  body  to  the  wall 
of  one  of  the  idol's  houses,  that  every  body 
might  see  it.  And  they  fastened  Jonathan's 
body  to  the  same  place.  Was  not  this  a  sad 
thing  to  happen  to  poor  Jonathan  ?  But  God 
loved  Jonathan.  Where  was  Jonathan's  soul  ? 
It  was  with  God.  But  Saul's  soul  was  not 
with  God;  and  his  body  was  in  the  idol's 
house. 

Some  of  the  Israelites  heard  where  the  Phi- 
listines had  fastened  the  bodies  of  Saul  and 
Jonathan  ;  and  these  kind  men  travelled  all 
night  to  the  place,  and  took  their  bodies  down 
from  the  wall,  and  burned  them,  and  buried 
their  bones  under  a  tree. 

Where  was  David  all  this  time  ?  He  was 
in  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  He  knew  that 
Saul  and  Jonathan  had  been  fighting  a  battle, 
and  he  longed  to  know  who  had  conquered. 
At  last  a  man  who  had  been  at  the  battle. 


DAVID — PROMISE    FULFILLED.  81 

caine  to  David,  to  tell  him  about  it.  The  man 
bowel  down  to  David,  and  David  said,  Where 
do  you  come  from  ? 

And  the  man  said,  I  came  from  the  tents  of 
Israel. 

Then  David  said,  Pray  tell  me  what  has 
happened. 

And  the  man  said,  The  Israelites  have  run 
away,  and  many  are  dead ;  and  Saul,  and  Jon- 
athan his  son,  are  dead  also. 

The  man  thought  that  David  would  have 
been  very  glad  to  hear  that  Saul  was  dead. 
But  was  David  glad  ?  No ;  he  still  loved 
Saul,  and  he  was  sorry  too  that  the  Philistines 
had  conquered  him,  because  he  knew  that  the 
Philistines  would  praise  their  idols,  and  speak 
against  the  God  of  Israel,  and  David  loved 
God  so  much,  that  he  wished  every  body  to 
praise  him.  And  David  was  very  sorry  for 
Jonathan  his  friend.  He  would  never  see  his 
face  again  in  this  world. 

David  sung  a  sweet  song  about  Saul  ana 
Jonathan.  He  said  that  Saul  and  Jonathan 
had  been  like  eagles  and  lions,  they  had  been 
bo  brave:  he  said  they  had  lived  together, 
and  had  died  together.     And  then  he  said  i* 


82       PBECEPT  UPON  PBECEPT. 

his  song,  I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brothel 
Jonathan;  thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful. 
He  called  Jonathan  his  brother  because  he 
had  been  so  very  kind  to  him. 

David  did  not  speak  of  Saul's  wickedness, 
he  only  spoke  of  his  bravery ;  for  he  did  not 
like  to  speak  against  the  king. 

Now  the  time  had  come  when  David  was 
to  be  king.  God  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Israelites  to  ask  David  to  be  their  king.  And 
David  said  he  would  be  their  king.  God  had 
promised  that  David  should  be  king,  and  God 
kept  His  promise,  and  made  him  ^ing. 

God  always  keeps  His  promises.  "What  did 
God  once  promise  Abraham  ?  That  he  should 
have  a  son,  and  that  his  children's  children 
should  live  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  Did  God 
keep  these  promises  ?  Oh !  yes.  What  has  God 
promised  you,  my  dear  children?  To  give 
you  His  Spirit  if  you  ask  Him,  and  I  know 
He  will  keep  His  promise  to  you.  He  will 
keep  all  His  promises.  He  has  promised,  if 
you  have  His  Spirit,  to  give  you  a  crown  of 
glory.  I  hope,  dear  childrenvthat  you  will 
ask  Him  for  His  Holy  Spirit 

David  praised  God  on  his  harp  for  keeping 
His  promise  to  him;    for  taking  him  from 


DAVID — PROMISE   FULFILLED.  83 

keeping  sheep,  to  make  him  king  over  all  the 
land.  David  wished  to  be  a  good  king,  and 
to  do  all  that  God  told  him,  and  to  teach  all 
his  people  to  love  God.  He  kne\*  that  God 
would  bless  him,  and  keep  him  *j*w  %U 
harm. 

THE     DEATH     OF     SAUL. 

Wounded  with  sharp  arrows, 
The  king  of  Israel  flies ; 
On  the  field  of  battle 
By  his  own  sword  he  dies. 

How  the  heathen  triumph 
To  find  him  'mong  the  dead : 
To  .their  idol  temples 
They  send  his  royal  uead. 

Then  with  nails  they  fasten 
His  body  to  the  wall : 
All  who  pass  by  see  it, 
And  mock  the  name  of  SauL 

He  refused  to  honor 
The  great  almighty  Name: 
God,  in  righteous  anger, 
Has  covered  him  with  shame. 


THE      BRAVE      SHEPHEBD. 

Good  David,  whose  psalms  have  so  often  been 

At  first  was  not  noble  or  grand, 
But  only  a  shepherd-boy  when  he  was  young, 

Though  afterwards  king  of  the  land. 


4  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

He  tended  his  flocks  in  the  pastures  by  day, 

And  kept  them  in  safety  by  night ; 
And  though  a  poor  shepherd,  he  did  not  delay 

To  do  what  was  holy  and  right. 

For  while  he  sat  watching  his  sheep  in  the  fold, 

To  guard  them  from  danger  abroad, 
It  then  was  his  greatest  delight,  we  are  told, 

To  think  on  the  works  of  the  Lord. 

He  gazed  on  the  moon,  and. the  stars  in  the  sky, 

Which  God  has  appointed  to  shine, 
And,  "  Lord,  what  is  poor  sinful  man,"  he  would  cry, 

"  Compared  with  these  wonders  of  thine  f 

Thus  seeking  so  early  for  knowledge  and  truth, 

His  childhood  in  wisdom  began ; 
And  therefore  the  Lord  was  the  guide  of  his  youth, 

And  made  him  so  mighty  a  man. 

When  ready  for  battle  Goliath  appeared, 

Young  David  first  offered  to  go ; 
He  knew  that  his  God,  whom  he  trusted  and  feared, 

Would  help  him  to  conquer  the  foe. 

In  war  and  in  fighting  he  had  not  been  skilled, 

Yet  ventured  to  meet  him  alone ; 
And  this  mighty  giant  he  presently  killed 

With  only  a  sling  and  a  stone. 

Bo  he  soon  was  made  king,  for  the  prophets  foretold 

That  God  meant  to  honor  him  thus; 
And  if  we  will  serve  Him  like  David  of  old, 

The  Lord  will  be  mindful  of  us. 

Ann  and  Jink  Taylor 


DAVID — THE   ARK  ON  ZION.  BO 

LESSON    XIV. 
DAVID,    OR    THE    ARK     ON     ZION 

2  Samuel,  5:7-11;  1  Chron.  13  ;  15 ;  16 ;  11. 

At  last  David  was  made  king,  as  God  had 
promised.  I  will  tell  you  the  name  of  the 
city  in  which  he  lived ;  it  was  Jerusalem. 
David  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  there  he 
kept  sheep,  but  when  he  was  king  he  lived  at 
Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem  was  a  beautiful  city.  There 
were  a  great  many  hills  in  it.  Do  you  not 
think  hills  very  beautiful  ?  One  of  the  hiili 
was  called  Mount  Zion. 

David  directed  some  men  to  build  him  a 
house  upon  mount  Zion.  Do  you  know  what 
a  king's  house  is  called  ?  It  is  called  a  pal- 
ace.    David's  palace  was  on  mount  Zion. 

David  loved  God  very  much,  and  so  he 
thought  he  should  like  to  have  God's  ark  very 
near  his  palace. 

Where  was  the  ark  ? 

You  remember  that  the  ark  was  once  at 
Shiloh,  and  that  the  Philistines  took  it  in  bat- 
tle, and  that  they  sent  it  back  to  the  Israelites : 

8 


86  PRECEPT   UPON  PilECEPT. 

but  the  ark  never  was  taken  back  to  Shiloh 
again.  God  would  not  let  the  wicked  people 
who  lived  in  Shiloh  have  His  ark  any  more. 
The  ark  had  been  kept  in  a  man's  house  ;  Da- 
vid knew  where  it  was,  and  he  went  himseli 
to  bring  it ;  a  great  many  priests  went  with 
David,  and  a  great  many  people  who  played 
on  musical  instruments,  such  as  harps  and 
trumpets,  and  other  instruments  called  cornets, 
and  cymbals,  and  psalteries,  and  some  people 
who  sung  sweet  psalms  in  the  praise  of  God, 
and  there  were  some  women  playing  on  tim- 
brels. So  they  brought  the  ark  from  the  man's 
house  to  mount  Zion  in  Jerusalem.  David 
was  dressed  in  a  white  ephod,  and  all  the  sing- 
ers and  players  of  music  were  dressed  in  white, 
and  the  priests  were  dressed  in  white. 

David  played  upon  his  harp,  and  he  went 
with  the  players  and  singers ;  and  the  ark 
came  afterwards  with' the  priests. 

How  beautiful  it  was  to  see  all  these  men 
in  white,  and  to  hear  them  praising  God. 

Would  not  the  sight  have  put  you  in  mind 
of  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven  ? 

A  great  many  of  the  Israelites  came  to  see 
this  beautiful  sight     They  saw  their  king 


DAVID — THE   ARK  ON  ZIOH.  87 

praising  God  upon  his  harp.  Oh !  how  glad 
David  felt  that  day. 

The  ark  was  taken  up  the  hill  called  mount 
Zion.  There  were  walls  round  the  top  oi 
mount  Zion,  and  large  gates  ;  the  gates  were 
opened  wide  to  let  the  king  come  in,  and  the 
ark,  which  was  the  throne  of  the  Lord.  David 
had  prepared  a  place  made  of  curtains  for  the 
ark  to  be  placed  in.  He  had  not  brought  the 
old  tabernacle  to  mount  Zion;  but  he  had 
made  a  new  tabernacle,  close  to  his  own  pal- 
ace. There  the  priests  placed  the  ark,  and 
David  desired  the  singers  to  sing  a  psalm  that 
he  had  written,  beginning,  "  Give  thanks 
unto  the  Lord." 

David  also  offered  some  sacrifices  upon 
mount  Zion,  and  David  blessed  all  the  people 
that  stood  round.  Before  the  people  went 
home,  he  directed  that  every  man  and  every 
woman  should  have  some  bread  and  some 
meat,  and  a  little  bottle  of  wine.  Was  not 
this  very  kind  in  David? 

David  was  very  glad  that  God's  ark  was 
near  his  own  palace.  He  desired  the  singers 
and  players  on  music  to  sing  and  play  every 
day  near  the  ark.     He  desired  them  to  sing  yd 


88       PRECEPT  LPON  PRECEPT. 

the  night  also :  some  used  to  sing  in  the  day, 
and  some  used  to  sing  in  the  night.  They 
.sung  by  turns.  The  angels  in  heaven  can  sing 
night  and  day  without  resting,  but  these  sing- 
ers could  not  do  so.  When  David  was  in  his 
palace,  he  could  hear  them  singing  God's 
praise  :  even  at  night,  if  he  lay  awake  upon 
his  bed,  he  could  hear  those  sweet  songs. 

David  wrote  the  psalms  himself:  God's 
Spirit  taught  him  what  to  say.  He  sung  the 
psalms  to  his  own  harp,  and  he  wrote  them 
down,  and  sent  them  to  the  singers,  that  they 
might  sing  them  near  the  ark. 

David  did  not  always  stay  in  his  palace  on 
mount  Zion.  He  was  often  obliged  to  go  out 
to  fight  against  the  Philistines,  and  othei 
wicked  people ;  and  God  helped  David  and 
his  men  to  conquer  them  all.  Then  David 
used  to  return  to  mount  Zion,  and  sing  psalms 
to  God  for  having  helped  him  to  conquer. 

One  day  David  was  sitting  in  his  beautiful 
palace,  and  he  said  to  his  friend  Nathan,  I 
live  in  a  fine  house,  but  God's  ark  is  placed 
under  curtains.  And  David  wished  to  build 
a  beautiful  house  for  God's  ark. 

Nathan,  David's  friend,  was  a  very  wise 


DAVID — THE  ARK  ON  ZION.  89 

and  very  good  man,  and  lie  advised  David  tc 
build  a  house  for  the  Lord. 

In  the  night  God  spoke  to  Nathan,  and  said 
to  him,  Go  tell  David  not  to  build  me  a  house  ; 
I  am  pleased  with  David  for  wishing  to  build 
it,  but  I  do  not  choose  to  have  him  build  me 
one,  because  he  has  fought  so  many  battles 
and  killed  so  many  people  :  I  will  give  David 
a  son  who  shall  build  me  a  house ;  but  David 
shall  go  on  fighting  battles,  and  I  will  bless 
David  always. 

God  was  not  displeased  with  David  for 
fighting  battles,  only  he  did  not  choose  that 
he  should  build  him  a  house. 

Then  Nathan  came  to  David  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  told  him  what  God  had  said. 

David  was  much  pleased  to  hear  that  God 
would  bless  him,  and  that  he  would  give  him  a 
son  who  should  build  a  house  for  God.  So  Da- 
vid went  to  thank  God  for  his  kind  promises. 

David  said,  0  Lord,  how  kind  Thou  hast 
been  to  me.  And  wilt  Thou  still  go  on  bless- 
ing me  ?  I  do  not  deserve  such  kindness. 
How  can  I  thank  Thee  enough  ?  Pray  go  on 
blessing  me,  and  loving  me. 

God  liked  David's  prayer.  David  was  not 
8* 


90       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

proud.  He  wondered  that  Gjd  should  be  sc 
kind  to  him,  and  that  He  should  have  taken 
him  from  being  a  shepherd  to  be  a  king  over 
Israel,  and  he  wondered  that  God  should 
promise  to  bless  him  always,  and  to  bless  his 
son;  for  David  knew  that  he  deserved  nothing, 
for  he  was  but  a  poor  sinner. 

Has  not  God  been  kind  to  you,  my  dear 
child  ;  and  has  He  not  promised  to  take  yon 
to  live  with  him,  if  you  ask  him  ?  Did  you 
ever,  my  dear  little  child,  wonder  to  yourself 
why  God  was  so  kind  to  you  ?  It  was  not 
because  you  are  good ;  for  you  are  full  of  sin. 
It  was  because  God  is  so  good,  and  loves  to 
bless  people. 

DAVID    8     JOY. 

Behold  the  pious  king  advancing 
Amid  ths  white-robed  priestly  tridn ; 

Behold  him  playing,  singing,  dancing, 
His  joy  unable  to  restrain. 

Vow  close  beside  king  David's  palace, 
Within  a  tent,  the  ark  shall  dwell: 

Let  Israel  fear  no  heathen  malice, 
For  God  Himself  shall  guard  it  well. 

Their  watch  the  holy  servants  keeping, 
With  psalms  shall  cheer  the  silent  night; 

The  monarch  in  his  palace  sleeping, 
Shall  wake  and  listen  with  delight. 


DAVID — THE  ARK  ON  ZION.  91 


0  may  I  love  such  holy  pleasures, 
And  taste  them  in  the  courts  above  ; 

Where  saints  in  softest,  sweetest  measures, 
For  ever  praise  the  God  they  love. 

david's    wish. 

Once  David  in  a  palace  dwelt, 
Whose  walls  were  built  of  cedar  wood; 
But  sorrowful  the  monarch  felt, 
For  in  a  tent  God's  ark  abode. 

He  wished  to  build  a  temple  grand, 
Of  marble,  silver,  brass,  and  gold, 
Where  men  might  flock  from  every  land, 
And  Israel's  God  might  be  extolled. 

His  God  approved  the  pious  thought, 
And  yet  His  servant's  wish  denied, 
Because  in  battles  he  had  fought, 
And  human  blood  his  hands  had  dyed. 

Yet  when  his  days  were  all  fulfilled, 
God  promised  him  a  peaceful  son, 
Who  should  a  glorious  temple  build, 
And  sit  upon  his  father's  throne. 


And  did  the  Lord  the  wish  approve, 
Which  showed  affection  true  and  warmf 
Will  he  accept  my  thoughts  of  love, 
Though  I  no  glorious  deed  perform  t 

He  knows  my  heart,  He  knows  I  long 
That  every  ear  should  hear  His  word ; 
Till  Jews  and  Turks  and  heathen  throng 
Into  His  house,  and  call  Him  Lord. 


92  PEECEPT  UPON  PREGEPH 

LESSON  XV. 

DAVID,    OR    URIAH'S   WIFE. 

2  Samuel,  11 ;   13  :  1-14. 

Was  David  a  good  man  ?  Oh  I  yes ;  h& 
loved  God,  and  tried  to  please  him.  What 
made  David  good  ?  God's  holy  spirit.  God 
put  his  spirit  into  his  heart ;  yet  there  was  still 
wickedness  in  David's  heart,  as  well  as  good- 
ness. Satan,  too,  used  to  tempt  David  to  do 
wicked  things.  Sometimes  David  did  not 
pray  to  God  to  keep  him  from  Satan,  and 
then  David  used  to  mind  what  Satan  said. 
Shall  you  not  be  very  sorry  to  hear  of  a  wick- 
ed thing  that  David  did  ? 

I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  how  David  once 
displeased  the  Lord. 

Once  David's  men  went  out  to  fight  against 
some  wicked  people  who  lived  near  Canaan. 
David  did  not  go  himself  to  fight  this  time, 
but  he  told  a  man  called  Joab  to  take  his  sol- 
diers to  fight.  This  Joab  was  called  David's 
captain,  because  a  captain  is  a  man  that  takes 
soldiers  with  him  to  battle,  and  tells  them 
when  to  fight 


DAVID — URIAH'S  WIPE.  93 

So  David  stayed  at  Jerusalem.  I  do  not 
know  why  he  did  not  go  out  to  fight  himself; 
I  am  afraid  that  he  was  idle,  and  liked  bettei 
staying  at  home  to  eat  and  drink,  and  resl 
himself  It  is  very  wrong  to  be  idle.  Did 
you  ever  hear  this  hymn  ? 

"  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do.w 

One  day  when  it  was  hot  David  lay  upon 

his  bed,  and  when  it  grew  cool  he  got  up  and 
walked  on  the  top  of  his  house,  which  wa> 
flat  and  level  like  a  floor.  As  he  was  walk 
ing  there,  he  looked  down  and  saw  a  woman, 
whom  he  liked  very  much  as  soon  as  he  saw 
her.  David  wished  to  have  her  for  his  wife ; 
so  he  sent  his  servants  to  ask  what  her  name 
was ;  and  they  came  back  and  told  him  that 
her  name  was  Bath-she-ba,  and  that  she  was 
married  to  a  man  called  Uriah. 

Could  David  have  Bathsheba  for  his  wife, 
if  she  was  married  to  Uriah  ?  Oh !  no ;  Da- 
vid could  not  take  her  away  from  Uriah  to  be 
his  wife :  that  would  have  been  wicked  ;  for 
God  has  said  in  the  ten  commandments, 
"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."     David 


W  PBECEPT  UPON   PRECEPT. 

ought  to  have  prayed  to  God  to  keep  aim 
from  thinking  of  Bathsheba  any  more ;  but 
he  went  on  thinking  of  her,  and  wishing  that 
she  could  be  his  wife ;  and  he  thought,  If 
Uriah  was  dead,  then  Bathsheba  could  be  my 
wife.  Then  he  wished  that  Uriah  was  dead. 
Now  Uriah  was  a  very  brave  and  good  man, 
and  he  had  gone  with  the  captain  Joab  a  great 
way  off  to  fight  against  some  wicked  people. 

David  wished  that  Uriah  might  get  killed 
in  the  battle.  "Was  not  that  very  wicked  ? 
God  said  in  the  ten  commandments,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  kill ;"  and  we  must  not  even  wish  a 
person  to  be  killed. 

At  last  a  very  wicked  plan  came  into  Da- 
vid's heart.  I  will  tell  you  what  David  did. 
David  wrote  a  letter  to  Joab  the  captain,  and 
this  is  what  he  wrote :  When  you  take  the 
people  out  to  fight,  let  Uriah  stand  in  a  place 
where  the  wicked  people  will  be  able  to  shoot 
him. 

How  could  David  write  such  a  letter  ?  Da- 
vid sent  the  letter  to  Joab.  Ought  Joab  to 
have  done  this  wicked  thing  ?  Oh !  no ;  he 
ought  not  to'have  minded  David.  But  Joab 
was  a  very  wicked  man,  so  he  determined  to 
do  as  the  king  told  him. 


J>YVID — URIAH'S   WIFE.  95 

Soon  afterwards  Joab  took  his  soldiers  to 
fight  against  a  great  city  with  walls  all  round 
it,  and  be  told  Uriah  to  go  with  some  of  the 
Boldieis  very  near  the  walls  of  the  city,  and 
some  of  the  men  in  the  city  shot  arrows  from 
the  walls,  and  killed  poor  Uriah. 

Then  Joab  sent  a  man  to  tell  king  David 
at  Jerusalem  that  Uriah  was  dead. 

Was  David  sorry  when  he  heard  that  Uriab 
was  killed  ?  He  pretended  to  be  sorry,  bul 
he  felt  glad  in  his  heart.  You  know  why  hf 
was  glad.  Now  Bathsheba  could  be  his  wife ; 
so  he  sent  for  Bathsheba,  and  he  married  her, 
and  she  came  and  lived  with  him  in  his  palace. 

But  God  was  displeased  with  what  David 
had  done. 

One  day  Nathan,  who  was  a  prophet,  came 
to  David. 

God  had  told  Nathan  what  David  had  done 

Nathan  began  by  telling  David  a  little  his 
tory.  He  said,  There  were  two  men  in  one 
sity ;  the  one  was  rich,  and  the  other  was 
poor ;  the  rich  man  had  a  great  many  sheep ; 
the  poor  man  had  only  one  little  lamb,  which 
he  had  taken  care  of  since  k  wa§  first  born  • 
he  fed  it,  and  gave  it  dri/iJr  o\ri>  of  hi*  own 


96       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

cup,  and  he  nursed  it  in  his  bosom,  and  loved 
it  as  one  of  his  children.  One  day  a  visitor 
came  to  the  rich  man's  house,  and  the  rich 
man  sent  and  took  the  poor  man's  lamb,  and 
killed  it,  and  prepared  it  for  dinner  for  his 
visitor.  Then  said  Nathan,  What  shall  be 
done  to  the  rich  man  ? 

And  David  felt  very  angry  with  the  rich 
man,  and  he  said  to  Nathan,  He  shall  die ; 
and  he  shall  give  the  poor  man  four  lambs  in- 
stead of  the  one  which  he  took. 

Then  Nathan  said  to  David,  Thou  art  the 
man. 

What  did  Nathan  mean  ?  Was  David  the 
man  who  had  taken  the  poor  man's  lamb  ? 
No  ;  David  had  not  taken  a  lamb,  but  he  had 
taken  Uriah's  wife,  and  that  was  much  more 
wicked.  Nathan  had  told  him  this  history  to 
show  him  what  a  wicked  thing  he  had  done. 
Did  David  deserve  to  die  ? 

Nathan  said  to  David,  God  has  been  very 
kind  to  you,  and  made  you  king.  Why  have 
you  disobeyed  His  commandments?  Grod 
will  punish  you  for  your  wickedness.  Your 
children  shall*  fight  each  other,  and  kill  each 
other,  and  behave  very  wickedly  to  you  as 
long  as  you  live. 


david — Uriah's  wife,  97 

David  was  very  sorry  when  he  heard  that 
God  was  angry  with  what  he  had  done,  and 
he  said,  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord. 

Then  Nathan  said,  God  has  forgiven  yon, 
you  shall  not  die. 

David  was  really  sorry  for  what  he  had 
done.  He  was  not  like  Saul,  who  only  cared 
for  the  punishment ;  he  was  most  sorry  be- 
cause  he  had  displeased  God. 

David  sung  a  very  sad  psalm  on  his  harp, 
and  he  gave  it  to  the  singers  to  sing  near  the 
ark. 

He  asked  God  in  his  psalm  to  wash  out  his 
sins.  These  were  some  of  David's  words. 
Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 
Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God  I  and  re- 
new a  right  spirit  within  me. 

You  see  that  David  prayed  to  God  to  for- 
give him,  and  God  did  forgive  him.  God 
would  not  send  David  to  hell,  but  he  would 
forgive  him,  because  Jesus  had  promised  to 
die  for  him  some  day  upon  the  cross.  Yet 
still,  God  would  punish  David  while  he  was 
alive,  that  all  people  might  know  that  God 
hated  wickedness. 

I  hope,  dear  children,  that  you  will  often 

9 


98       PKECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

pray  to  God  to  keep  you  from  Satan ;  but 
whenever  you  have  done  a  wrong  thing,  I 
hope  you  will  feel  sorry,  and  that  you  will  ask 
God  to  forgive  you  :  and  I  know  he  will  for- 
give you,  because  Jesus  died  on  the  cross  for 
sinners. 

If  you  do  not  feel  sorry,  then  you  should 
ask  God  to  make  you  feel  sorry ;  for  it  is  God's 
Spirit  that  makes  people  sorry  for  their  sins. 

Can  this  be  David — this  the  man 
Whose  course  in  piety  began  ? 
Whose  ways  the  holy  God  approved, 
And  whom  he  called  His  son  beloved  ? 

Ah !  see  him  take  the  lamb  away 
That  in  Uriah's  bosom  lay ; 
And  see  Uriah,  at  his  word, 
Perish  beneath  a  heathen  sword. 

Has  he  forgot  God's  love  of  old, 
When  first  he  took  him  from  the  fold ; 
And  how  with  grateful  heart  he  swore 
To  serve  this  God  for  evermore  ? 

Why  have  his  feet  gone  thus  astray  ? 
Ah  !  surely  he  forgot  to  pray  ; 
For  God  will  never  leave  to  fall 
Those  who  on  him  for  succor  call. 


Satan's  nets  are  thickly  spread 
6n  every  path  my  feet  shall  tread ; 
But  they  shall  ne'er  entangled  be, 
If,  Lord,  I  fix  my  eyes  on  Thee. 


DAVID—  THE   PUNISHMENT.  99 

LESSON   XVX 

DAVID,    OK    THE    PUNISHMENT. 

2  Samuel,  15  ;  16  ;  17. 

You  remember,  my  dear  children,  that  God 
gaid  he  would  punish  David,  though  he  had 
forgiven  him. 

David  had  a  great  many  children,  and  some 
of  them  were  very  wicked  when  they  grew 
up.  I  can  not  tell  you  about  all  his  bad  chil- 
dren, but  I  will  tell  you  of  one  called  Absa- 
lom. He  was  a  very  proud  young  man  ;  he 
was  very  handsome,  and  he  had  beautiful  hair, 
and  he  was  very  vain  of  his  beauty  :  he  also 
told  lies,  and  he  even  killed  one  of  his  brothers 
who  had  offended  him.  When  David  heard 
how  Absalom  had  killed  his  brother,  he  was 
angry  with  him  for  a  long  time,  and  would 
not  see  him ;  but  at  last  he  let  him  come  to 
his  palace,  and  kissed  him,  and  forgave  him. 
David  ought  never  to  have  allowed  Absalom 
to  come  to  Jerusalem  again  after  he  had  killed 
his  brother ;  but  David  was  too  fond  of  Absa- 
lom. 

Yet  Absalom  did  not  love  his  father  Da- 


100      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT, 

vid.  He  wished  to  be  king  instead  of  Da- 
vid, and  so  he  behaved  very  kindly  to  all  the 
people  in  Jerusalem,  that  they  might  love  him 
better  than  they  loved  his  father,  and  make 
him  king.  He  used  sometimes  to  kiss  the 
poor  people  that  he  saw,  and  tell  them  that 
if  he  were  king  he  would  be  very  kind  to 
them. 

This  kind  way  of  behaving  made  the  people 
iove  Absalom ;  for  they  thought  that  he  really 
cared  for  them.  How  very  sly  and  deceitful 
Absalom  was.     God  did  not  love  him. 

When  Absalom  saw  that  many  of  the  peo- 
ple loved  him,  he  asked  David's  leave  to  go 
from  Jerusalem  into  the  country.  And  David 
gave  him  leave.  David  did  not  know  what  a 
wicked  plan  Absalom  had  made.  This  was 
the  wicked  plan : 

Absalom  had  directed  a  great  many  men  to 
wait  till  they  heard  the  sound  of  a  trumpet, 
and  when  they  heard  it,  to  cry  out,  Absalom 
is  king.  So,  when  Absalom  had  left  Jerusa- 
lem, and  come  into  the  country,  he  desired  the 
trumpet  to  be  blown,  and  a  great  many  of  the 
people  called  out,  Absalom  is  king ;  and  came 
to  Absalom  to  be  his  soldiers. 


DAVID — THE  PUNISHMENT.  101 

Poor  David  was  in  Jerusalem,  and  a  mes- 
senger came  and  told  him  that  Absalom  had 
made  himself  king. 

How  grieved  David  was  to  hear  this  news. 
He  could  not  bear  to  think  that  his  son  was 
so  wicked  as  to  make  himself  king.  Then 
David  thought  of  his  own  sin,  and  he  felt  that 
he  deserved  to  be  punished.  He  knew  that 
it  was  God  that  let  all  these  sad  things  hap- 
pen to  him. 

David  would  not  stay  in  Jerusalem,  for  he 
thought  that  Absalom  would  soon  come  there, 
and  would  perhaps  kill  him  and  his  servants. 
So  the  king  left  his  palace  on  mount  Zion,  to 
go  a  great  way  off.  There  were  many  people 
in  Jerusalem  who  loved  David,  and  they  went 
with  him. 

First  they  crossed  a  little  river  that  was 
outside  Jerusalem,  and  as  they  went  over,  all 
the  people  wept.  They  wept  to  think  that 
their  dear  king  was  obliged  to  leave  his  house, 
and  to  wander  about  without  a  home. 

Then  David  and  his  servants  went  up  a 

high  hill,  aud  David  wept  as  he  went  up,  and 

he  covered  his  head,  and  he  wore  no  shoes  on 

his  feet :  be  did  these  things  to  show  he  waa 

9* 


102      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

unhappy ;  and  all  the  people  with  him  lid  the 
same,  and  wept  as  they  went  up.  You  see 
how  much  the  people  loved  David. 

And  when  David  was  come  to  the  top  of  the 
hill,  he  prayed  to  God.  He  knew  that  God 
could  comfort  him  in  his  distress. 

Then  David  went  on  his  journey.  Soon  he 
met  a  very  wicked  man  who  hated,  him,  and 
who  called  David  very  bad  names,  and  even 
threw  stones  at  David  and  his  soldiers.  This 
wicked  man  called  David  a  child  of  the  devil, 
and  said,  You  killed  Saul,  and  his  children, 
and  now  God  is  punishing  you  for  your  wick- 
edness. 

Had  David  killed  Saul  or  his  children  ?  Oh ! 
no.  The  man  told  lies  of  David.  But  David 
had  killed  Uriah,  and  God  was  punishing  him 
for  that  sin. 

One  of  David's  friends  said  to  him,  Do  not 
let  that  wicked  man  call  you  names ;  let  me 
go  and  take  off  his  head. 

But  David  said,  No ;  the  Lord  lets  him 
curse  me,  and  I  will  not  hinder  him.  My 
own  son  seeks  to  kill  me.  I  am  not  surprised 
that  this  man  curses  me. 

How  meekly  David  behaved.    This  was  the 


DAVID — THE  PUNISHMENT.  103 

way  that  Jesus  behaved  to  wicked  people. 
You  see,  my  dear  children,  what  we  should 
do  when  people  are  unkind  and  cruel  to  us. 
We  ought  not  to  give  them  rude  answers ;  but 
we  ought  to  think  of  the  bad  things  we  have 
done,  and  behave  meekly. 

This  wicked  man  went  on  cursing  and 
throwing  stones  and  dust  at  David  and  his 
soldiers. 

At  last  David  and  his  men  came  to  a  place 
where  they  rested  themselves,  for  they  were 
very  much  tired.  David  and  his  soldiers  trav- 
elled a  long  way.  At  last  they  crossed  over 
the  river  Jordan.  I  believe  they  found  some 
place  where  the  water  was  not  deep.  On  the 
other  side  there  was  a  place  called  a  wilder- 
ness. 

There  were  three  very  rich  men  who  lived 
near  the  wilderness,  and  who  heard  of  poor 
David  and  his  men  having  come  there ;  and 
these  rich  men  said,  They  must  be  very  hun- 
gry, and  thirsty,  and  weary  in  the  wilderness ; 
so  they  brought  David  and  his  men  a  great 
many  things :  beds  to  rest  their  weary  limbs 
upon ;  and  basins  and  cups  to  drink  out  of, 
and  corn,  and  vegetables,  and  honey,  and  but- 


104      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

ter,  and  cheese,  and  sheep  to  eat.  These  rich 
men  were  very  kind ;  God  pnt  it  in  their 
hearts  to  be  kind  to  poor  David  in  his  dis- 
tress. 

While  David  was  in  the  wilderness,  he  often 
prayed  to  God,  and  asked  God  to  comfort 
him.  David  felt  that  he  deserved  to  be  pun- 
ished ;  so  he  behaved  very  meekly.  This  is 
the  way,  dear  children,  you  should  behave 
when  you  are  punished  for  your  faults.  If 
you  are  really  sorry,  you  will  not  be  angry 
with  the  people  who  punish  you ;  but  when 
you  are  in  disgrace,  you  will  pray  to  God  to 
forgive  you,  and  to  put  His  Spirit  in  your  heart 

make  you  good. 

Alas  !  what  mournful  tones 

Are  heard  from  David's  harp ; 

Ah !  listen  to  those  groans, 

That  tell  of  trouble  sharp : 
How  different  from  the  joyful  strain 
That  late  made  Zion  ring  again! 

Ah  I  well  may  David  weep  { 

He  shed  Uriah's  blood. 

Should  not  his  grief  be  deep, 

Who  has  offended  God  ? 
When  God  was  pleased  'twas  light  around, 
But  all  was  darkness  when  He  frowned. 


DAVID — THE   PUNISHM1OT.  105 

And  will  the  Lord  again 

Cheer  David  with  His  beams, 

And  wash  away  the  stain 

Of  sin  in  mercy's  streams  ? 
Then  David's  heart  with  joy  shall  Jbw 
His  lips  with  praises  overflow. 

CHILD. 

It  has  often  grieved  me 

To  see  my  parent  frown  ; 

How  can  I  happy  be, 

If  God  with  wrath  look  down  1 
0  Father !  smile  upon  Tny  child, 
And  tell  me  Thou  art  reconcile 


106  PBECEPT   UPON   PBECEPT. 

LESSON  XVTL 

DAVID,    OR    THE    OAK    TREK. 

2Samfel,  18;  19:  1-4. 

David  and  his  men  lived  in  a  city  in  the 
wilderness.     This  city  had  walls  and  gates. 

Absalom  soon  heard  where  his  father  David 
was,  and  he  came  after  him  with  a  great  army. 
Absalom  crossed  over  the  river  Jordan,  and 
desired  his  men  to  set  up  their  tents  near  the 
city  where  David  was. 

Then  David*  saw  that  his  wicked  son  meant 
to  fight  against  him.  So  David  one  morning 
directed  his  soldiers  to  go  out  of  the  city. 
David  was  going  with  them ;  but  they  begged 
him  not  to  come,  lest  he  should  be  killed  in 
the  battle.  These  people  loved  him  very 
much.  Then  the  king  said,  I  will  do  as  you 
think  best.  David  did  not  wish  to  go  to  this 
battle,  for  he  did  not  like  to  fight  against  Ab- 
salom. 

David  told  the  soldiers,  before  they  went  to 
battle,  not  to  hurt  Absalom ;  for  David  still 
loved  his  wicked  son. 

Absalom  and  his  soldiers  came  out  to  fight 


DAVID — THE  OAK   TREE.  107 

against  David's  men.  They  fought  in  a  wood. 
This  was  not  a  good  place  for  fighting,  for  a 
great  many  people  were  knocked  against  the 
trees,  and  bruised,  and  killed. 

Who  do  you  think  conquered?  David's 
men;  because  God  helped  them,  and  Absa- 
lom's men  tried  to  run  away,  and  a  great 
many  of  them  were  killed  by  the  swords  of 
David's  men,  and  still  more  were  killed  by  the 
trees  of  the  wood. 

Now  you  shall  hear  what  became  of  Absa 
lorn. 

He  rode  upon  a  mule — which  is  a  beast  very 
much  like  a  horse — and  as  he  was  riding,  he 
passed  under  a  great  oak  tree,  and  his  beauti- 
ful long  hair  was  caught  in  the  boughs ;  and  the 
mule  ran  away,  and  left  him  hanging  by  the 
hair  in  the  tree,  with  his  feet  lifted  up  from 
the  earth.  You  remember  how  proud  he  was 
of  his  hair.  God  let  that  very  hair  be  fastened 
to  the  tree.  We  should  pray  to  God  not  to 
let  us  be  proud  of  any  thing  we  have.  One 
of  David's  soldiers  saw  him,  and  went  to  the 
captain  Joab,  and  said,  Behold  I  saw  Absalom 
hanged  in  an  oak.  Then  Joab  said,  And  why 
did  you  not  kill  him  ?     If  you  had,  I  would 


108      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

have  given  you  a  great  deal  of  silver,  and 
some  clothes.  But  the  man  answered,  If  yon 
would  have  given  me  a  thousand  pieces  of 
silver,  I  would  not  have  hurt  Absalom,  for  J 
heard  the  king  desire  that  no  one  should  hurt 
him.  Then  Joab  went  very  quietly  to  the 
oak  tree,  and  he  found  Absalom  still  hanging 
there.  So  he  took  three  darts,  and  thrust 
them  through  Absalom's  heart,  just  through 
the  middle  of  his  body  ;  and  ten  young  men 
that  were  with  Joab,  hurt  him  also  with 
swords,  or  darts,  and  killed  him. 

How  frightened  Absalom  must  have  felt 
when  he  was  hanging  in  the  oak.  I  wonder 
whether  he  prayed  to  God  to  forgive  him. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  wish  to  pray  ;  for  he  did 
not  love  God.  Perhaps  he  only  felt  frightened 
lest  any  one  should  kill  him,  and  did  not  fear 
the  anger  of  God.  The  darts  must  have  hurt 
his  body  very  much,  and  must  have  covered 
him  with  blood.  Did  he  not  well  deserve  to 
feel  pain  ?  What  pain  he  had  made  his  father 
feel  in  his  mind ! 

Joab  took  his  body  down  from  the  tree,  and 
cast  it  into  a  pit  in  the  wood,  and  laid  a  great 
heap  of  stones  on  the  top. 


DAVID — THE  OAK  TREK.      109 

When  Absalom  was  dead,  Joab  blew  a 
trumpet  to  call  back  his  soldiers  from  running 
after  Absalom's  soldiers ;  for,  now  Absalom 
was  dead,  the  Israelites  might  leave  off  fight- 
ing. Absalom's  soldiers  went  back  to  their 
tents,  and  Joab  took  his  soldiers  back  to  the 
city  where  David  was. 

But  before  Joab  and  his  men  went  back, 
two  men  ran  very  fast  to  tell  David  what  had 
happened. 

How  much  David  longed  to  know  whether 
Absalom  was  dead.  David  wished  his  men 
to  conquer,  and  yet  he  did  not  wish  Absalom 
to  be  killed. 

David  sat  near  the  gates  inside  the  city 
where  he  was.  A  man  stood  upon  the  top  of 
the  wall  near  the  gate,  to  watch  to  see  whether 
any  person  was  coming  into  the  city.  Soon 
the  watchman  saw  a  man  running,  and  he 
cried  out  loud,  I  see  a  man  running  alone. 
Then  said  David,  No  doubt  he  brings  some 
message.  Soon  afterwards  the  watchman  cried 
out,  I  see  another  man  running  alone.  Then 
David  said,  He  also  brings  a  message. 

Soon  the  first  man  who  was  running  cam© 
up,  and  cried  out,  All  is  welL 

10 


110  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

He  said  all  was  well,  because  David's  men 
had  conquered.  Then  the  man  fell  down  to 
the  ground  upon  his  face  before  the  king,  and 
he  thanked  God  for  having  let  David's  men 
conquer.  Then  the  king  said,  Is  the  young 
man  Absalom  safe?  The  messenger  knew 
that  Absalom  was  dead,  but  he  did  not  like 
to  grieve  David  by  telling  him  this  sad  news 
all  at  once  ;  so  he  said,  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  noise  and  confusion  when  Joab  sent  me 
here.  The  man  did  not  tell  David  what  this 
noise  was  about. 

Soon  the  other  man  came  running  up  to  Da- 
vid, and  he  said,  God  has  punished  the  wicked 
people  who  fought  against  the  king.  Then 
the  king  said,  Is  the  young  man  Absalom  safe? 

And  the  messenger  answered,  May  all  peo- 
ple who  fight  against  the  king,  be  as  Absalom 
now  is.  The  king  knew  that  the  man  meant 
that  Absalom  was  dead.  How  very  unhappy 
the  king  was  when  he  heard  this.  He  went 
into  a  room  that  was  near  the  gate,  and  he 
wept  as  he  went  up,  and  he  said,  "  0  my  son 
Absalom!  my  son,  my  son  Absalom!  Would 
God  I  had  died  for  thee,  0  Absalom,  my  son, 
my  son !" 


DAVID — THE  OAK  TREE.       Ill 

When  David's  soldiers  were  coming  back 
into  the  city,  they  heard  how  much  the  king 
was  grieved  for  Absalom,  and  they  felt  un- 
happy too,  because  they  loved  the  king.  The 
king  did  not  come  out  to  meet  them,  and  to 
thank  them  for  having  fought  for  him,  as  he 
would  have  done  if  Absalom  had  not  been 
killed ;  but  he  remained  by  himself,  and  he 
covered  his  face,  and  cried,  "  0  my  son  Absa- 
lom, my  son,  my  son !" 

I  do  not  wonder  that  David  was  unhappy 
about  Absalom.  Could  David  hope  that  he 
had  gone  to  heaven,  and  that  he  should  £ee 
him  again  one  day  ?  Oh !  it  is  dreadful  to 
lose  a  wicked  child.  God  cut  off  Absalom  in 
the  midst  of  his  wickedness.  God  is  very 
angry  with  children  who  behave  ill  to  their 
parents,  and  He  often  punishes  them  by  let- 
ting them  die  while  they  are  young,  and  send- 
ing their  souls  to  hell. 

Jonathan  died  while  he  was  young,  but  he 
was  good ;  and  he  went  to  heaven.  I  hope, 
my  dear  children,  tnat  none  of  you  will  die 
in  wickedness,  as  Absalom  did.  Pray  now, 
my  darlings,  to  God,  to  make  you  love  and 
obey  Him,  and  I  know  that  He  will  hear  you. 


112      PRFCEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Why  will  He  he<u  yon  ?    Because  Jesus  died 
for  you. 

Young  Absalom'  •*  beautiful  hair 
Is  caught  in  the  boughs  of  a  tree ; 
The  prince  is  suspended  in  air, 
And  struggles  in  vain  to  get  free. 

Three  arrows  are  struck  through  his  heart, 
He  dies  in  his  youth's  f-oshest  bloonr. 
Oh  !  that  all  from  his  sin*  might  depart, 
Who  hear  of  young  Absalom's  doo»  I 

I  wonder  not  David  should  weep 
O'er  a  son  in  his  sins  snatched  away  \ 
Oh !  well  might  his  anguish  be  dee^, 
As  he  thought  of  the  great  judfon^    iay 


Dear  Saviour,  Thou  seest  my  heart 
With  pride  and  with  vanity  filled ; 
In  mercy  Thy  Spirit  impart, 
And  make  me  a  dutiful  child. 

Then  weep  not,  dear  parents,  for  no 
If  I  in  my  childhood  should  die ; 
Believe  that  my  face  you  would  m 
Among  the  redeemed  on  high. 


DAVID — THE   FAREWELL.  113 

LESSON    XVIII. 

DAVID,     OR    THE    FAREWELL. 

2  Samuel,  19  ;  1  Kings,  2 :  38,  39  ;  1  Chron.  28 ;  29. 

Did  not  Absalom  come  to  a  very  dreadful 
end?  He  died  in  the  midst  of  his  wicked- 
ness; for  God  curses  children  who  behave 
ungratefully  to  their  parents.  How  much 
David  loved  this  wicked  Absalom.  He  went 
on  crying  for  him  for  some  time.  David  knew 
why  God  had  let  him  have  such  a  wicked 
child.  Do  you  know  why  ?  It  was  because 
David  had  killed  Uriah.  Yet  God  had  for- 
given David. 

Now  Absalom  was  dead,  David  could  return 
to  Jerusalem.  The  people  who  had  said  that 
Absalom  was  king,  now  wished  David  to  be 
king  again.  So  David  went  over  the  river 
Jordan,  on  his  way  back  to  Jerusalem.  As 
he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  a  man 
came  to  David,  and  threw  himself  down  be- 
fore him  to  ask  his  pardon.  Who  could  this 
man  be?  It  was  the  wicked  man  who  had 
thrown  stones  and  dust  at  David,  when  he 
was  unhappy. 

10* 


114      PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Did  David  forgive  him  ?  Yes,  he  did.  Was 
not  that  kind  in  David  ?  The  man  deserved 
to  die,  but  David  said  to  him,  Thou  shalt  not 
die.  The  man  was  not  really  sorry  ;  only  he 
did  not  dare  to  behave  ill  to  David,  now  he 
was  king  again.  God  wonld  punish  that 
wicked  man,  though  David  forgave  him.  I 
hope,  dear  children,  that  you  will  forgive 
people  who  behave  rudely  to  you ;  God  has 
said  that  if  we  do  not  forgive,  He  will  not  for- 
give us. 

There  was  another  man  who  came  to  see 
David,  before  he  crossed  over  the  river.  It 
was  one  of  those  rich  men  who  had  been  kind 
to  David  in  his  distress,  and  who  had  sent 
him  the  presents  of  beds,  basins,  and  food. 
He  was  an  old  man,  and  David  thanked  him, 
and  asked  him  to  come  and  live  with  him  at 
Jerusalem.  The  rich  man  said  he  was  too 
old,  but  that  he  would  like  to  have  David  take 
his  son  with  him  to  Jerusalem;  and  David 
did  take  his  son  with  him,  and  he  kissed  the 
old  man,  and  blessed  him.  David  was  grate- 
ful: he  was  kind  to  people  who  had  been 
kind  to  him. 

David  was  very  glad  to  come  back  to  Jeru- 
salem.    Do  you  know  what  made  him  most 


DAVID — THE   FAREWELL.  115 

glad  ?  It  was  because  he  wished  to  worship 
God  near  His  ark,  and  to  hear  all  the  people 
praising  God.  While  David  had  been  a  great 
way  from  Jerusalem,  he  often  sighed  and  wept 
to  think  that  he  conld  not  go  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord ;  for  David  loved  God  very  much, 
David  was  pleased  to  see  the  priests  offer  sac- 
rifices on  the  altar  to  God,  and  to  praise  God 
himself  for  His  goodness,  upon  the  harp. 

You  remember  the  kind  promises  that  God 
had  made  to  David.  He  had  promised  that 
David  should  have  one  good  son,  who  should 
be  king  after  David  was  dead,  and  who  should 
build  a  house  for  the  Lord. 

One  of  David's  sons  was  good.  God  loved 
him,  and  made  him  good.  His  name  was 
Solomon.  God  told  David  that  he  was  to  be 
king  after  him.  At  last  David  grew  very  old, 
and  weak,  and  he  knew  that  he  should  die. 
So  he  wished  to  make  Solomon  king  before  he 
died.  He  told  the  high-priest  to  pour  oil  upon 
his  head ;  and  so  the  high-priest  anointed  Solo-' 
mon  to  be  king. 

Then  David  called  his  people  together  to  a 
place  in  Jerusalem,  that  he  might  speak  to 
them  all  before  he  died.     When  they  had  all 


116      PRECEPr  UPON  PRECEPT. 

come,  the  king  stood  up  on  his  feet,  and  said, 
I  once  wished  to  build  a  house  for  the  ark  oi 
God ;  but  God  would  not  let  me  build  a  house, 
because  I  had  shed  so  much  blood  in  battle, 
but  he  said  that  my  son  should  build  it 

Then  David  spoke  to  Solomon,  and  said, 
Solomon,  my  son,  serve  God,  and  He  will  bless 
you.  Then  David  showed  Solomon  the  things 
he  had  got  ready  for  building  the  house: 
gold, .  and  silver,  and  iron,  and  stones,  and 
wood ;  and  David  asked  the  people  whether 
they  would  give  any  of  their  things  to  build 
a  house  for  God. 

And  the  people  gave  a  great  many  things : 
gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  iron,  and  beau- 
tiful shining  stones ;  and  the  people  liked  to 
give  their  things  for  God's  house. 

And  David  was  pleased  to  see  that  they 
liked  to  give ;  for  that  was  a  sign  that  they 
loved  God. 

Dear  children,  if  you  love  God,  you  will 
like  to  spare  your  money,  to  help  poor  people 
and  to  buy  Bibles,  and  to  build  churches,  and 
to  send  ministers  to  the  heathen. 

I  shall  tell  you  no  more  about  David.  I 
know  that  you  love  him  very  much.    He  had 


DAVID — THE  FAREWELL.  117 

loved  God  since  lie  was  a  child  and  kept  sheep. 
How  pleasant  it  is  to  love  God  all  our  lives 
long.  This  is  what  I  wish  you  to  do,  my 
dear  children.  I  want  yon  to  love  God  now, 
while  yon  are  young,  and  to  go  on  loving  Him 
when  you  are  grown  up,  if  you  live ;  and  t» 
love  Him  when  your  hair  is  grey.  David  be- 
gan to  sing  God's  praises  when  he  was  a  shep- 
herd-boy ;  and  he  went  on  praising  Him  till 
he  died.  God  was  kind  to  David  all  his  days. 
And  He  will  be  kind  to  you.,  dear  children, 
even  when  you  are  old  and  gray-headed ;  and 
He  will  take  you  to  that  sweet  place  where 
David  is  now,  and  where  Christ  is. 

Then  David  prayed  to  God,  and  thanked 
Him  for  letting  Solomon  build  Him  a  house, 
and  for  letting  the  people  give  their  things  to 
God.  And  David  asked  God  to  make  Solo- 
mon love  Him,  and  obey  Him.  David  offered 
a  great  many  sacrifices  to  God. 

Very  soon  David  died.  Where  did  his 
spirit  go?  To  the  God  he  loved.  He  had 
sung  many  sweet  songs  to  Him  while  he  Idved 
on  the  earth,  but  now  he  sings  sweeter  songs. 

David  was  called,  "  The  sweet  Psalmist  of 
Israel."     Why  was  that  name  given  to  him? 


118  PRECEPT   UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON    XIX. 

SOLOMON,    OR    THE    WISE    CHOICB. 

2  Chron.  1 :  1-6 ;  1  Kings,  3  :  3,  to  the  end. 

Almost  the  first  thing  that  Solomon  did 
when  he  was  made  king,  was  to  offer  sacri- 
fices to  God. 

Was  not  that  right  ? 

He  did  not  offer  these  sacrifices  on  mount 
Zion,  where  the  ark  was,  but  he  went  to  the 
place  where  the  old  tabernacle  was,  that  Moses 
*had  made,  and  where  the  great  brass  altar 
was,  and  there  he  offered  a  great  many  sacri- 
fices to  God.  Why  did  he  offer  these  sacri- 
fices? To  show  that  he  loved  God  and 
wished  to  serve  Him. 

The  night  after  Solomon  had  offered  the 
sacrifices,  God  spoke  to  Solomon  while  he 
was  asleep,  and  said,  Ask  what  I  shall  give 
thee.  You  see  God  allowed  Solomon  to 
choose  what  he  would  like  to  have  God  give 
him. 

Do  you  wish  to  know  what  Solomon  chose 
to  have  ?     What  would  you  have  asked  for  ? 

Now  Solomon  had  just  been  made  king  and 
he  saw  what  a  hard  thing  it  was  to  be  a  good 


SOLOMON— THE  WISE   CHOICE.         119 

king ;  for  Solomon  would  judge  the  people  . 
people  who  quarrelled  with  each  other  would 
come  to  Solomon  ;  and  it  is  very  hard,  when 
people  quarrel,  to  find  out  who  is  in  fault, 
and  who  ought  to  be  punished. 

Solomon  wished  very  much  to  judge  the 
people  well ;  and  so  he  asked  God  to  make 
him  very  wise. 

Solomon  said  to  God  that  night,  Thou  hast 
made  me  king  over  a  great  many  people,  and 
I  am  very  young ;  and  I  do  not  know  what  I 
ought  to  do.  Oh  I  make  me  very  wise,  that  I 
may  judge  the  people  well. 

Did  Solomon  make  a  wise  choice  ?  Oh !  yes , 
it  was  right  in  Solomon  to  wish  to  judge  the 
people  well. 

God  was  very  much  pleased  with  Solomon, 
and  said,  You  did  not  ask  me  to  make  you 
very  rich,  or  make  you  live  a  long  while,  or 
mak.e  you  conquer  your  enemies,  but  you 
asked  for  wisdom  ;  therefore  I  will  make  you 
wiser  than  any  man  that  ever  lived ;  and  I 
will  make  you  very  rich  too ;  so  that  no  other 
king  shall  be  as  rich,  or  as  great  as  you ;  and 
if  you  love  me,  and  serve  me  as  David  did,  I 
will  make  you  live  a  long  while. 


120      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Then  Solomon  woke.  How  pleased  he 
must  have  been  to  think  of  the  promises  that 
God  had  made  him.  He  went  back  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  offered  up  more  sacrifices,  near  the 
ark  on  mount  Zion. 

Now  I  will  tell  you  of  something  that  hap- 
pened, which  showed  that  God  had  made 
Solomon  as  wise  as  He  said  He  would. 

One  day  there  came  two  women  to  Solo- 
mon. They  had  quarrelled  with  each  other. 
Solomon  was  the  judge,  and  the  women  stood 
before  him. 

One  of  these  women  held  a  dead  babe  in 
her  arms,  and  the  other  held  a  living  babe  in 
her  arms.  Both  the  babes  were  very  little 
creatures,  only  a  few  days  old,  so  that  the 
living  babe  was  not  old  enough  to  sit  up,  or 
to  look  about  it,  or  to  smile. 

The  woman  who  held  the  dead  babe  seemed 
very  unhappy,  and  she  said  to  the  king,  This 
dead  babe  is  not  my  own  child.  The  other 
babe  is  mine.  I  lived  in  the  same  house  with 
that  woman,  and  no  one  lived  in  the  house 
besides  us  two ;  and  one  night  that  woman 
lay  upon  her  child  in  bed,  and  killed  it ;  and 
so  she  got  up  and  put  her  dead  babe  into  my 


SOLOMON — THE   WISE   CHOICE  121 

bed  while  I  was  asleep,  and  took  my  living 
babe  into  hers.  When  I  woke  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  was  going  to  feed  my  child,  but  I  found 
only  this  dead  child ;  but  when  I  had  looked 
at  it,  I  saw  it  was  not  my  own  child. 

Then  the  other  woman  said,  You  do  not 
speak  truth ;  the  living  child  is  mine,  and  the 
dead  one  is  yours.  Then  the  other  woman 
said  again,  No,  the  living  child  is  mine,  and 
the  dead  is  yours. 

Which  of  these  women  spoke  the  truth  ? 
And  which  of  them  told  lies  ?  How  could 
Solomon  find  out  ?  How  could  he  tell  which 
ought  to  have  the  living  babe  ? 

But  God  had  made  Solomon  very  wise,  and 
he  thought  of  a  way  to  find  out  who  spoke 
the  truth. 

Solomon  called  out,  Bring  me  a  sword  And 
the  servants  brought  a  sword  to  the  king. 
Then  Solomon  said,  Cut  the  living  child  in 
two,  and  give  half  to  one  woman,  and  half  to 
the  other ;  because  both  the  women  say  the 
child  is  theirs,  so  let  them  each  have  half. 

Then  one  of  the  women  cried  out,  Oh  !  do 
not  cut  the  child  in  two,  but  let  that  woman 
have  it;  onJy  do  not  kill  it 

XI 


122      PRECEPT  UPON  PBECEPT 

But  the  other  woman  said,  Let  the  child  be 
cut  in  two,  and  let  us  each  have  half. 

Now  which  do  you  think  was  the  mother 
of  the  living  child?  Oh  I  I  see  that  you 
know.  Was  it  not  the  one  who  said,  Do  not 
let  it  be  killed  ? 

How  do  you  know  that  she  was  the  mother  ? 
Because  she  loved  the  babe  so  much.  Mothers 
do  love  their  babes  very  much ;  they  would 
rather  that  any  one  should  have  their  babes, 
than  that  the  babes  should  be  killed. 

Solomon  knew  which  was  the  mother,  and 
he  said  to  his  servant,  Give  her  the  living 
child,  and  do  not  Mil  it;  she  is  the  mother  of  it. 

Why  had  Solomon  desired  the  man  at  first 
to  cut  the  babe  in  two  ?  Had  he  intended  to 
have  it  killed  ?  Oh !  no.  He  only  wanted  to 
see  what  the  women  would  say,  that  he  might 
find  out  which  was  the  mother.  Was  not 
that  a  wise  plan  of  Solomon's  ?  God  had  really 
made  him  wise  as  He  had  promised  He  would. 

All  the  Israelites  heard  of  what  the  king 
had  said  to  the  women,  and  they  were  sur- 
prised at  his  wisdom,  and  they  were  afraid  oi 
him,  for  they  saw  that  God  had  put  wisdom 
into  his  heart 


SOLOMON — THE    WISE   CHOICE.  123 

Should  you  like  to  be  wise,  my  dear  ciiil- 
dren  ?  You  go  to  school  to  learn  to  be  wise, 
that  you  may  know  what  is  right,  and  what 
is  wrong ;  but  you  will  never  be  as  wise  as 
Solomon,  for  God  has  said  that  no  one  shall  be 
as  wise  as  he  was.  But  there  is  one  thing 
still  better  than  Solomon's  kind  of  wisdom, 
and  you  may  have  it  if  you  ask  God  for  it. 
Do  you  ask,  What  is  that  ?  It  is  the  Holy 
Spirit.  If  the  Spirit  is  in  your  heart,  you  will 
know  God,  and  you  will  love  Him.  God  has 
promised  to  give  His  Spirit.  He  has  said, 
Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive.  I  am  glad  when 
you  are  wise  enough  to  answer  questions 
right,  or  to  behave  well ;  but  I  wish  most  that 
you  should  love  God  with  all  your  heart,  and 
try  to  please  Him.  That  is  a  better  kind  of 
wisdom  than  Solomon's. 


Now,  if  the  Lord  should  say  to  me, 
What  gifts  shall  I  bestow  on  thee  ?" 
Should  I  like  Solomon  reply, 
lOh  1  give  me  wisdom  from  on  highf 


Yet  wisdom  is  the  only  thing 
That  real  happiness  can  bring ; 
And  restless  must  my  heart  re: 
Until  this  wisdom  I  obtain. 


124      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

It  would  not  make  me  truly  wise 

To  know  the  stars  that  fill  the  skies, 

Or  all  the  fishes  in  the  seas, 

Or  beasts  and  birds,  or  flowers  and  tree* 

Wisdom  to  love  the  thing  that's  right, 
Oh  !  this  would  give  my  heart  delight 
This  wisdom,  then,  oh  !  grant  to  me. 
That  I  may  ever  live  with  Thee. 


SOLOMON — THE   TEMPLE.  126 

LESSON  XX. 

SOLOMON,  OR  THE  TEMPLR 

i  Kings,  5  :  16-17;  2  Chron.  3 ;  4;  5 ;  6 ;  1 : 1-12. 

Do  you  remember  what  God  had  said  that 
Solomon  should  build  ? 

A  house  for  the  Lord. 

This  house  was  to  be  called  a  Temple ;  and 
it  was  to  be  very  beautiful. 

Solomon  had  a  great  many  things  to  build 
it  of:  gold,  and  silver,  and  iron,  and  brass, 
and  stones,  and  wood ;  and  he  had  a  great 
many  servants  to  build  it.  David  his  father 
had  told  him  how  to  build  it.  How  did  Da 
vid  know  how  to  build  it?  God  had  told 
David,  and  he  had  written  it  down. 

Solomon  did  not  build  the  temple  upon 
mount  Zion,  but  upon  another  high  hill  in 
Jerusalem. 

Solomon  ordered  a  greai  many  large  stonei 
to  be  laid  upon  the  ground  for  the  beginning 
of  the  house ;  then  he  directed  his  servants  to 
cut  down  a  great  many  trees,  and  he  had 
some  more  wood  which  David  had  given  to 
him.     Solomon  built  the  walls  and  the  roof  o* 


126      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

wood,  and  Solomon  covered  the  inside  of  the 
house  with  gold. 

How  beautiful  the  house  must  have  been 
inside.  How  bright  it  must  have  shone  when 
the  candlesticks  were  lighted ;  for  Solomon 
made  ten  candlesticks  of  gold,  to  give  light  to 
the  house.  Solomon  put  other  beautiful  things 
in  the  temple,  beside  the  ten  candlesticks. 
He  put  ten  tables  for  bread,  and  a  golden  altar 
to  burn  sweet  spices  in  the  midst.  And  Solo- 
mon made  a  court  round  the  temple,  with  a 
stone  wall  round  the  court ;  and  he  put  in  the 
court  ten  large  basins  of  brass,  to  wash  the 
animals  in  before  they  were  sacrificed ;  and  he 
made  one  basin  larger  than  the  rest :  and  he 
made  twelve  oxen  of  brass,  and  put  this  large 
basm  ^>n  the  backs  of  the  oxen  ;  and  he  had 
the  basm  filled  with  water  for  the  priests  to 
wash  in. 

In  the  court  Solomon  placed  a  very  large 
brass  altar  that  he  had  made.  It  was  so  large 
that  a  gre^-  many  lambs,  and  bullocks,  and 
goats  might  be  burned  on  it  at  the  same 
time. 

At  last  the  temple  was  quite  finished,  and 
it  was  the  most  beautiful  house  in  the  world 


SOLOMON — THE  TEMPLE.  127 

It  could  not  be  moved  about,  as  the  taber 
nacle  bad  been  in  the  wilderness ;  but  Solomon 
never  wished  to  move  it  from  Jerusalem.  It 
was  a  great  deal  larger  than  the  tabernacle. 

When  it  was  finished,  Solomon  sent  for  all 
the  people  to  come  to  the  temple.  The  priests 
came,  and  they  carried  the  ark  into  a  little 
room  in  the  temple,  called  the  Holy  of  Holies ; 
and  Solomon  had  made  a  great  door  to  the 
little  room ;  and  he  had  placed  a  great  curtain 
or  veil  over  the  door,  and  he  had  made  two 
very  large  cherubim,  or  angels,  of  wood  cov- 
ered with  gold,  and  had  placed  them  in  the 
little  room,  beside  the  two  golden  cherubim 
that  were  on  the  top  of  the  ark.  The  large 
cherubim  stood  upright,  and  each  had  two 
great  wings  stretched  out  all  across  the  little 
room.  The  priests  left  the  ark  under  the 
wings  of  the  great  cherubim,  and  no  one 
eould  see  into  the  little  room  because  of  the 
great  door,  and  of  the  curtain  or  veil  which 
was  over  the  door. 

The  other  part  of  the  temple  was  filled  with 
priests,  and  with  singers  all  clothed  in  white 
and  holding  harps  and  other  kinds  of  musical 
instruments  in  their  hands — and  some  of  the 


128      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

priests  blew  trumpets.  These  were  the  words 
the  singers  sung : 

"  Oh !  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord ;  for  He 
is  good,  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever." 

As  soon  as  the  priests  had  left  the  ark  in 
the  little  room,  and  while  the  priests  and  sing- 
ers were  praising  the  Lord  in  the  temple,  the 
Lord  Himself  came  down  in  a  cloud,  and  fill- 
ed the  temple ;  so  that  the  priests  and  singers 
were  obliged  to  go  out  of  the  temple,  and  to 
stand  in  the  court. 

How  glad  Solomon  was  to  see  that  the  Lord 
had  come  into  the  house  that  he  had  built  for 
Him.  Solomon  liked  to  see  the  brightness  oi 
the  Lord,  though  he  knew  that  the  Lord  filled 
every  place. 

Where  did  king  Solomon  stand  ?  He  had 
made  a  high  place  of  brass,  and  he  put  it  near 
the  brass  altar  in  the  court,  and  he  stood  upon 
this  high  place,  so  that  all  the  people  could 
see  him. 

And  Solomon  knelt  down  on  this  place, 
and  spread  wide  his  arms,  and  began  to  pray 
to  God.  His  prayer  was  very  long ;  but  1 
will  only  tell  you  a  small  part  of  it.  He  asked 
G-od  to  hear  all  people  who  were  unhappy 


SOLOMON — THE   TEMPLE.  129 

and  who  were  sorry  for  their  sins,  and  to  for- 
give them. 

When  Solomon  had  ended  his  prayer,  there 
came  down  fire  from  heaven,  and  burned  up 
the  beasts  that  had  been  killed  and  spread 
upon  the  altar.  The  fire  did  not  hurt  the 
people  ;  it  only  burned  the  dead  beasts  on  the 
altar.  God  sent  the  fire  to  show  the  people 
that  He  wished  them  to  offer  sacrifices  to  Him 
and  pray  to  Him. 

When  the  people  saw  the  fire,  and  the  glory 
of  God  all  over  the  temple,  they  bowed  them- 
selves down  to  the  ground,  and  praised  the 
Lord,  and  said,  He  is  good ;  His  mercy  en- 
dureth  forever. 

At  last  the  people  went  home  to  their  own 
houses,  but  they  very  often  came  to  offer  sac- 
rifices at  the  temple,  and  to  pray  to  God. 
Sweet  psalms  and  sweet  music  might  be  heard 
at  the  temple  both  day  and  night. 

That  temple  was  a  delightful  place;  be- 
cause there  people  praised  God,  and  because 
there  they  saw  His  glory. 

There  is  a  sweeter  place,  where  I  hope  we 
shall  go  some  day.  There  God  shines  brighter 
than  the  sun,  and  there  angels  clothed  in  white 


130      PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

are  always  singing  His  praises.  Do  you  wist 
to  go  there,  my  dear  children  ?  Then  what 
must  you  do  ?  You  must  pray  to  God  for 
two  things :  to  forgive  you  your  sins,  and  tc 
give  you  His  Holy  Spirit.  Why  will  God 
hear  your  prayers  ?  Because  Jesus  died  on 
the  cross;  God  promised  Hip  Son,  that  He 
would  hear  people's  prayers.  God  can  not 
break  His  promise.  My  dear  little  child,  say 
to  God,  Oh  i  keep  Thy  promise  tc  1'hj  Son : 
forgive  me  ic^  His  &*ke :  Grve  duj  Hifl  Holy 


SOLOMON — THE   QUEEN  S  VISIT.         181 

LESSON    XXI. 

SOLOMON,    OR    THE    QUEEN'S   VISIT. 

2  Chron.  7  :  11,  to  the  end  ;  1  Kings,  10. 

You  remember  how  Gcd  once  spoke  to 
Solomon  in  the  night,  and  how  He  let  him 
choose  what  he  would  have. 

A  long  while  afterwards,  God  spoke  to 
Solomon  again  in  the  night. 

God  said  to  Solomon,  I  have  heard  youT 
prayer  to  me  in  the  temple,  and  if  you  obey 
me  as  David  did,  I  will  bless  you ;  but  if  you 
do  wicked  things,  and  worship  idols,  then  I 
shall  be  very  angry,  and  this  beautiful  house 
that  you  have  built  shall  be  thrown  down. 

Ah !  my  dear  child,  do  you  not  hope  to 
find  that  Solomon  obeyed  God  ?  How  kind 
God  had  been  to  him.  Had  He  not  given 
him  all  the  things  He  had  promised  ? 

Solomon  was  very  rich  and  very  wise,  as 
God  had  promised.  He  built  a  great  many 
ships,  and  he  built  a  palace,  and  he  built  a 
great  many  towns;  and  he  made  a  great 
throne  with  six  steps  all  covered  with  gold, 
and  images  of  two  lions  on  each  of  the  steps, 


132      PEECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

a  lion  on  each  side,  and  a  seat  at  the  top  foi 
Solomon. 

When  Solomon  spoke,  he  said  such  wise 
things  that  people  came  from  a  great  way  off 
to  hear  him  talk,  and  they  brought  him.  pres- 
ents ;  some  brought  cups  of  gold  or  silver, 
and  some  brought  him  clothes,  and  some 
brought  spices,  and  some  brought  horses  and 
mules. 

So  Solomon  grew  very  rich  indeed.  He 
sent  his  ships  to  far  countries  over  the  sea, 
and  they  came  back  full  of  gold,  and  silver, 
and  ivory,  and  apes,  and  peacocks.  Solomon 
was  the  richest  king  in  the  world. 

I  told  you  that  people  came  from  far  coun- 
tries to  hear  him  say  wise  things ;  for  Solo- 
mon knew  a  great  deal :  he  knew  about  all 
the  plants,  from  the  highest  tree  down  to  the 
least  plant  that  grows ;  he  knew  about  the 
beasts,  and  birds,  and  fishes,  ana*  worms,  and 
insects ;  but  he  knew  something  much  better 
than  these  things,  he  knew  about  God  and 
how  to  please  Him,  and  he  gave  people  very 
wise  advice. 

Now  there  was  a  queen  who  lived  a  great 
way  off,  who  heard  of  Solomon,  and  how  wise 
he  was ;  and  she  wished  very  much  to  hear 


SOLOMON  —THE  QUEEN'S  VISIT.        133 

huA  talk,  and  to  see  the  house  that  he  had 
built. 

She  had  a  great  many  questions  to  ask 
him :  I  believe  that  her  questions  were  about 
God.  She  had  not  been  taught  about  God  in 
her  own  country,  and  she  wanted  to  know  a 
great  deal  about  Him.  She  was  called  the 
queen  of  Sheba.  It  was  right  in  the  queen  of 
Sheba  to  wish  to  know  about  God.  She  was 
a  very  rich  lady,  so  she  brought  a  great  many 
servants  with  her,  and  a  great  many  camels  with 
spices  and  gold,  as  presents  to  king  Solomon. 

Solomon  was  very  kind  to  her,  and  answer- 
ed all  the  questions  that  she  asked  him  ;  and 
he  showed  her  all  the  things  that  he  had  built 
The  queen  was  quite  surprised  at  all  she  saw 
and  heard,  and  she  said  to  king  Solomon, 
How  happy  are  your  servants  who  are  always 
standing  near,  you,  and  who  hear  the  wise 
things  you  say.  Blessed  be  the  Lord  your 
God,  who  made  you  king. 

Then  she  gave  a  great  deal  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver to  king  Solomon,  and  he  gave  her  all  the 
things  that  she  desired ;  and  then  the  queen 
went  back  with  her  camels  and  her  servants 
into  her  own  country. 

12 


134  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

The  queen  of  Sheba  brought  back  to  hei 
own  home  something  better  than  her  pres- 
ents ;  she  brought  a  great  deal  of  wisdom  in 
her  mind.  For  could  not  she  remember  the 
wise  things  that  Solomon  had  said  ?  I  hope 
that  she  left  off  worshipping  idols,  and  loved 
the  true  God. 

A  great  many  of  the  wise  things  that  Solo 
mon  said,  are  written  down  in  the  Bible ; 
they  are  called  "  The  Proverbs."  When  you 
are  older,  my  dear  children,  you  shall  read 
them,  that  you  may  grow  wise.  I  think  even 
now  you  would  understand  some  of  them. 

I  think  that  the  queen  of  Sheba  would 
think  you  very  happy  children,  if  she  could 
see  you.  Are  not  you  happier  than  Solo- 
mon's servants?  You  can  read  the  wise 
things  that  Solomon  said,  and  a  great  many 
wiser  things  that  Jesus  Christ  said.  They  are 
written  down  in  the  Bible. 

Across  the  burning  plains  of  sand 
Came  Sheba's  queen  to  Canaan's  land, 

To  hear  king  Solomon ; 
And  when  she  heard  his  wisdom  rare, 
She  cried,  "  How  blest  the  servants  are 

That  stand  around  thy  throne." 


SOLOMON — THE   QUEEN'S  VISIT  135 

And  did  she  count  those  servants  blest  t 
More  happy  we,  who  are  possessed 

Of  God's  most  holy  word ; 
For  we  can  read  what  Jesus  said, 
And  how  God  raised  Him  from  the  dead 

To  be  our  living  God. 

But  oh !  how  will  our  hearts  rejoice, 
When  we  shall  hear  our  Saviour's  voice. 

And  see  Him  face  to  face  ? 
For  then  much  better  shall  we  know, 
Than  we  have  ever  known  below, 

The  wonders  of  His  grace. 


186  PRECEPT   UPON   PRECEPT. 

LESSON  XXII. 

SOLOMON,    OR    THE    IDOLS. 

1  Kings,  11 :  1-13. 

How  many  times  had  God  appeared  to  Sol- 
omon ?     Twice. 

The  first  time  God  promised  to  make  Solo- 
mon wise ;  and  the  next  time  God  promised 
to  bless  him,  if  he  served  Him. 

But  did  Solomon  serve  God  ?  I  must  now 
tell  you  of  the  wicked  things  that  he  did, 
when  he  was  old. 

He  married  a  great  many  wives.  This  was 
wrong.  People  might  then  have  two  wives, 
or  a  few  wives ;  but  God  liked  best  that  they 
should  only  have  one.  You  remember  that 
Jacob  had  two  wives,  named  Kachel  and  Leah. 
If  a  man  now  was  to  have  two  wives,  he  would 
be  punished ;  then  he  might  have  two  wives, 
but  not  so  many  as  Solomon  had. 

Solomon  had  seven  hundred  wives.  Why 
did  he  have  so  many  ?  I  think  that  Solomon 
had  grown  proud,  and  that  he  wished  to  be  a 
very  grand  king,  and  it  was  thought  very 
grand  for  a  king  to  have  many  wives. 

These  wives  were  wicked :  they  worshipped 


SOLOMON — THE   IDOLS  137 

idols.  Solomon  ought  not  to  have  married 
heathen  women.  At  last  these  wives  per- 
suaded Solomon  to  like  their  idols,  and  to 
build  altars  for  the  idols  on  the  high  places 
round  Jerusalem ;  and  Solomon  did  even 
worse  than  this,  he  worshipped  some  of  the 
idols  himself.  You  did  not  think  that  he 
could  have  been  so  wicked.  Was  he  not  very 
foolish  to  worship  idols,  which  are  only  made 
of  wood,  or  stone  ?  Solomon  knew  what  was 
right,  but  he  did  not  do  it. 

How  sad  it  must  have  been  to  see  these 
women  offering  sacrifices,  and  burning  incense 
to  their  idols,  and  Solomon  bowing  down  to 
them.  God  was  very  angry  with  Solomon ; 
and  God  said  to  him,  Because  you  have  done 
this,  one  of  your  servants  shall  make  himself 
king ;  he  shall  take  away  a  great  deal  of  the 
land  of  Canaan  from  your  son,  as  soon  as  you 
are  dead. 

I  believe  Solomon  was  sorry  for  his  wicked- 
ness before  he  died ;  but  I  am  not  quite  sure 
that  he  was.  It  must  have  made  him  very 
sorry  to  know  that  God  would  punish  him.  I 
hope  he  was  sorry  for  having  displeased  God, 
who  had  been  so  very  kind  to  him. 

12* 


188      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Do  you  know  it  is  tho  rule  that  when  a 
king  dies,  the  king's  son  is- king  instead  of  his 
father  ?  So,  when  Solomon  died,  his  son  was 
king  instead  of  him ;  but  very  soon  one  of 
Solomon's  servants  tried  to  make  himself  king. 
The  servant's  name  was  Jer-o-bo-am.  This 
servant  made  himself  the  king  over  a  great 
part  of  the  land  of  Canaan ;  but  Solomon's 
son  was  still  king  over  the  rest  of  the  land. 

"What  God  had  said  came  true ;  for  God 
makes  all  He  says  come  true.  God  had  told 
Solomon  that  his  son  should  only  have  part  of 
the  land.  This  was  the  punishment  that  God 
gave  Solomon.  God  will  punish  people  who 
are  disobedient. 

I  hope,  my  dear  child,  that  you  will  not  be 
like  king  Solomon,  and  love  God  only  when 
you  are  young ;  but  I  hope  that  you  will  love 
God  all  your  life,  from  the  time  you  are  a 
little  creature,  until  your  hair  is  gray,  and 
your  back  is  bent  with  age,  should  you  live  to 
be  old. 

©h  I  who  is  this  with  kingly  crown 
Before  an  idol  bowing  down  ? 
Can  it  be  he  whose  early  days 
Were  spent  in  wisdom's  pleasant  waji; 


SOLOMON— THE  IDOLS.  139 

Who  built  to  God  a  temple  fair, 
And  lifted  up  bis  voice  in  prayer  t 

Alas  1  'tis  he ;  a  beauteous  train 
Of  heathen  women,  bold  and  vain, 
Have  stolen  his  heart  from  God  away ; 
And  now  that  he  is  old  and  gray, 
To  please  the  wives  he  fondly  loves, 
He  worships  idols  in  the  grovea 


Prom  Solomon  Fll  warning  take, 
And  I  will  never  friendship  make 
With  those  who  love  ungodly  mirth, 
And  only  care  for  things  of  earth, 
Lest  they  should  make  my  heart  to  n 
From  Him  who  won  my  early  iove. 


140      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON   XXIII. 

JEROBOAM,    OR   THE    DRIED-UP    HAND. 

1  Kings,  12  :  25  to  the  end;  13  :  1-1,  33,  34. 

You  have  heard,  my  dear  children,  how 
Solomon's  servant  Jeroboam  made  himself 
king  over  part  of  Canaan  ;  but  Solomon's  son 
was  king  over  the  other  part  of  Canaan.  Now 
Jerusalem  was  not  in  Jeroboam's  part  of  Ca- 
naan ;  it  was  in  the  part  that  Solomon's  son 
was  king  over.  It  was  a  good  thing  for  Solo- 
mon's son  that  he  had  Jerusalem.  You  can 
tell  me  why  it  was  a  good  thing :  The  temple 
was  in  Jerusalem;  and  in  the  temple,  God 
came  down  in  a  glorious  cloud. 

You  know  that  God  had  desired  all  the 
people  in  Canaati  to  come  to  Jerusalem  very 
often  to  worship  him.  Jeroboam  ought  to 
have  come  to  Jerusalem  to  worship  God ;  but 
he  would  not.  He  was  very  wicked,  and  he 
told  his  people  not  to  go  to  Jerusalem. 

Why  did  he  not  like  to  go  there  ?  Because 
there  was  another  king  in  Jerusalem.  He  did 
not  wish  his  people  to  go  to  a  place  where 
there  was  another  king,  lest  they  should  like 


JEROBOAM.  141 

the  other  king  best  You  see  how  proud  Jero- 
boam was.  Then  Jeroboam  did  a  very  wicked 
thing:  he  made  two  golden  calves,  and  set 
them  up  in  his  part  of  Canaan,  one  calf  in 
one  town,  and  the  other  calf  in  another  town. 
Why  did  he  set  up  the  calves  ?  That  people 
might  worship  them  instead  of  God.  He  told 
his  people  to  worship  them.  He  said,  Do  not 
go  to  Jerusalem,  it  is  too  far  off;  worship 
these  golden  calves.  How  wicked  it  was  in 
Jeroboam  to  teach  his  people  to  worship  idols. 
It  is  very  wicked  to  teach  other  people  to  do 
wrong.  Kemember  this,  dear  children.  Nevei 
advise  your  playfellows  to  do  wrong.  God 
will  be  very  angry  with  you -if  you  do,  and 
you  will  be  like  the  devil,  for  he  tempts  peo- 
ple to  sin  against  God. 

Jeroboam  worshipped  the  calves  himself. 
One  day  God  sent  a  prophet  to  him  to  tell  him 
of  his  wickedness.  Jeroboam  was  standing  by 
an  altar  burning  incense  to  a  golden  calf,  when 
the  prophet  came,  and  told  him  how  angry 
God  was  with  the  people  who  worshipped  the 
golden  calves,  and  how  he  would  punish  them 
And  the  prophet  said,  And  this  is  the  sign 
that  God  is  angry ;  the  altar  shall  be  broken, 


142      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

and  the  ashes  that  are  on  it  shall  f/A  to  the 
ground. 

When  king  Jeroboam  heard  thia  he  was 
angry,  and  he  wished  to  punish  the  prophet ; 
so  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  said  to  his 
servants,  Lay  hold  on  him.  Now  while  Jero- 
boam's hand  was  stretched  out,  God  made  it 
grow  dry  and  stiff,  so  that  he  could  not  pull  it 
back  again ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  altar 
was  broken,  and  the  ashes  fell  upon  the 
ground,  as  the  prophet  had  said. 

Do  you  not  think  Jeroboam  must  have 
been  frightened  then  ?  He  knew  that  no  one 
could  make  his  hand  well  but  God ;  so  he 
said  to  the  prophet,  Pray  thou  to  the  Lord 
thy  God  for  me,  that  my  hand  may  be  made 
well. 

Would  the  prophet  pray  to  God  for  Jero- 
boam, who  had  been  so  unkind  to  him  ?  Yes 
he  would ;  he  prayed  to  God,  and  God  made 
the  king's  hand  as  well  as  it  was  before. 

Then  Jeroboam  did  not  try  to  hurt  the 
prophet  any  more,  because  he  was  afraid  to 
hurt  him ;  but  Jeroboam  did  not  repent  of 
worshipping  idols  and  turn  to  God,  but  he 
went  on  teaching  his   people  to  pray  to  the 


JEEOBOAM.  143 

golden   calves.     And  God  was  very  angry 
with  Jeroboam. 

Why  was  not  Jeroboam  afraid  of  God? 
He  saw  that  God  could  dry  up  his  arm ;  could 
He  not  kill  him  and  cast  him  into  hell  ?  Ah  ! 
dear  children,  we  ought  to  fear  to  offend  our 
great  God.  Have  you  never  stretched  out 
your  arm  to  do  something  naughty?  Per- 
haps to  fight  ?  God  could  have  dried  up  your 
arm.  H3  is  very  kind.  But  He  will  punish 
us  one  day,  if  we  do  not  love  Him,  or  care  for 
Him. 


144  PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON     XXIV. 

ELIJAH,    OR    THE    RAVENS. 

1  Kings,  16 :  29-34;  17  : 1-7. 

You  remember,  dear  children,  that  Jero- 
boam was  king  over  only  part  of  the  land  of 
Canaan.  Solomon  had  been  king  over  all  the 
land ;  but  now  Solomon's  son  was  king  over 
one  part,  and  Jeroboam  was  king  over  the 
other  part. 

I  will  tell  you  what  Jeroboam  was  called. 
He  was  called  king  of  Israel ;  and  Solomon's 
son  was  called  king  of  Judah.  Will  you  try 
to  remember  this  ? 

At  last  Jeroboam  died,  and  there  was  an- 
other king  of  Israel  instead  of  him ;  and  at 
last  that  king  died,  and  then  there  was  another 
king ;  and  at  last  he  died,  and  then  there  was 
another  king;  so  there  were  a  great  many 
kings  one  after  the  other.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  they  were  all  wicked,  and  that  they  all 
worshipped  the  golden  calves  that  Jeroboam 
had  made.  I  will  not  tell  you  the  names  of 
these  kings ;  and  my  reason  is,  I  am  afraid 
that  you  will  not  remember  the  names  of  so 


ELIJAH — THE   RAVENS.  116 

many.  But  I  will  tell  you  the  name  of  one 
of  them. 

At  last,  after  a  great  many  kings  had  died, 
one  after  another,  there  was  a  king  called 
Ahab. 

He  was  more  wicked  than  any  of  the  other 
kings  had  been.  One  of  the  worst  things  he 
did,  was  to  marry  a  wicked  woman  who  wor- 
shipped idols.  This  woman  was  the  daughter 
of  the  king  of  another  country ;  she  had  been 
brought  up  to  worship  idols,  and  she  was  very 
fond  of  idols,  and  she  did  a  great  many  wicked 
things.  This  woman's  name  was  JezebeL 
She  was  called  the  queen  of  Israel,  because 
she  was  married  to  Ahab  king  of  Israel. 

The  name  of  Jezebel's  favorite  idol  was 
Baal ;  and  she  persuaded  Ahab  to  worship 
Baal,  as  well  as  the  golden  calves :  and  Ahab 
built  a  temple  for  Baal  in  the  town  where  he 
lived.  There  were  a  great  many  men  who 
used  to  teach  people  to  worship  Baal,  and 
these  men  were  called  the  prophets  of  Baal : 
and  Jezebel  was  very  kind  to  them.  For 
Jezebel  was  kind  to  people  who  loved  idols ; 
but  she  tried  to  kill  the  people  who  loved 
God.     There  weie  some  people  in  the.  land  ot 

13 


146       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Israel  who  would  not  worship  Baal ;  and  these 
people  hid  themselves  in  caves,  lest  Jezebel 
should  kill  them. 

God  loved  these  good  people  very  much. 

I  will  now  tell  you  of  one  very  good  prophet 
that  lived  in  the  land  of  Israel.  His  name 
was  Elijah :  he  would  not  worship  idols,  and 
he  tried  to  persuade  other  people  to  love  the 
true  God.  God  often  spoke  to  him,  and  told 
him  what  would  happen,  and  Elijah  prayed 
very  often  to  God. 

Ahab  and  Jezebel  hated  Elijah  because  he 
was  good,  and  they  would  have  liked  to  kill 
him.  Elijah  was  very  sorry  to  see  so  many 
people  in  the  land  of  Israel  worshipping  Baal ; 
and  he  wished  very  much  that  they  should  be 
sorry  for  their  wickedness.  At  last  God  sent 
the  people  a  punishment. 

God  did  not  send  any  rain  for  a  great  many 
months,  nor  did  He  let  any  dew  come  on  the 
grass  in  the  morning ;  so  the  hot  sun  scorched 
the  grass,  and  the  corn  did  not  grow,  and  the 
trees  did  not  bring  forth  fruit.  All  the  people 
of  Israel  were  very  unhappy  ;  but  God  wished 
them  to  turn  from  their  wickedness. 

How  did  Elijah  get  food  when  there  was  no 
rain?     God  told  him  to  go  to  a  place  where 


ELIJAH — THE   RAVENS.  147 

there  was  a  brook,  in  a  secret  place,  where  he 
might  hide  himself  from  Ahab:  and  God 
promised  to  send  some  ravens  to  feed  him. 

So  Elijah  went  to  this  brook,  and  he  drank 
of  the  water  of  the  brook ;  and  in  the  morning 
some  ravens  flew  to  him,  and  brought  him 
some  bread  and  meat ;  and  in  the  evening 
they  came  again,  and  brought  him  some  more 
bread  and  meat ;  and  the  next  day  they  came 
again  both  morning  and  evening;  so  Elijah 
had  breakfast  and  supper  every  day,  and  he 
wanted  nothing  more. 

Who  made  the  birds  so  wise  and  so  kind  ? 
God  can  do  every  thing.  Most  ravens  are 
wild,  but  God  made  these  ravens  gentle.  How 
glad  Elijah  must  have  been  when  he  saw  them 
coming  with  the  food.  How  he  must  have 
thanked  God  for  sending  them  every  day. 
God  has  promised  to  feed  all  hungrj  people 
who  pray  to  Him.  God  does  not  send  ravens 
to  feed  them ;  but  He  makes  other  people  pity 
them  and  give  them  food. 

Elijah  lived  quite  alone  by  the  brook ;  but 
Elijah  knew  that  God  was  with  him.  After 
a  while  there  was  very  little  water  in  the 
brook;  the  sun  dried  up  the  water,  and  no 


148      PBECBPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

rain  came  to  fill  it  up.  At  last  there  was 
none  left. 

What  could  Elijah  do  now?  Grod  could 
have  filled  the  brook  with  water,  btrt  Be  did 
not  choose  to  do  that.  He  told  Elijah  to 
jeave  the  brook,  and  to  go  to  another  place. 

You  see  what  care  God  took  of  Elijah  •  He 
will  take  the  same  care  of  you,  if  you  love 
Him  and  pray  to  Him. 

Elijah  by  the  brook  abides, 

And  there  from  furious  Ahab  hides, 

And  every  human  eye ; 
And  while  he  drinks  the  waters  clear, 
To  bring  him  food  with  faithful  care, 

His  winged  servants  fly. 

Tis  God  that  gives  the  ravens  meat, 
And  to  the  prophet's  lone  retreat 

Points  out  the  secret  way ; 
The  waters  sink  below  the  brim, 
But  still  Elijah  trusts  to  Him 

Who  feeds  him  day  by  day. 

For  should  the  little  brook  be  dry, 
Yet  God  would  all  his  wants  supply, 

While  here  he  dwelt  below ; 
And  then  the  Lamb  his  soul  would  feed, 
And  through  eternal  ages  lead 

Where  living  waters  flow. 


To  bring  me  food  no  ravens  fly, 
Yet  parents  all  my  wants  supply 

With  watohful  tenderness ; 
And  should  they  soon  be  breathless  clay, 
My  God  would  find  some  other  way 

To  keep  me  from  distress. 


ELIJAH— ^THE  WIDOW.  149 

LESSON   XXV. 
ELIJAH,    OR    THE    WIDOW. 

1  Kings,  17 :  8  ro  the  end. 

Where  did  God  tell  Elijah  to  go,  when  tke 
brook  was  dried  up  ?  He  told  him  to  go  a 
great  way  off  to  a  place  where  a  poor  widow 
lived,  who  would  give  him  food.  You  know 
that  a  widow  is  a  woman  who  has  lost  her 
husband.  Widows  are  generally  poor,  because 
they  have  no  husbands  to  work  for  them ;  but 
this  widow  was  very  poor  indeed,  because, 
since  there  had  been  no  rain,  people  could  get 
very  little  food  to  eat,  because  so  little  corn 
grew  in  the  fields. 

But  Elijah  went  where  God  told  him.  He 
went  all  across  the  land  of  Canaan,  till  he 
came  to  a  town  just  outside  Canaan.  Now 
the  people  who  lived  in  this  town  were  hea- 
then people,  and  worshipped  idols. 

When  Elijah  came  to  the  gate  of  the  town, 
he  saw  a  poor  woman  gathering  sticks,  and 
Elijah  knew  that  she  was  the  widow  who  wai 
to  give  him  food;  and  Elijah  called  to  her, 
and  said,  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  watei 
in  a  cup,  that  I  may  drink. 
U* 


150      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

I  do  not  wonder  that  Elijah  was  thirsty,  foi 
he  had  walked  a  long  way,  and  there  was  now 
very  little  water  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

Now  this  widow  was  so  kind  that  she  was 
going  to  fetch  the  water  for  Elijah.  Then 
Elijah  called  to  ner  again,  and  said,  Bring  me, 
I  pray  thee,  a  morsel  of  bread  in  thine  hand. 

Then  the  poor  widow  said,  I  have  not  got 
any  bread  ;  I  have  only  a  handful  of  flour  in 
a  barrel,  and  a  little  oil  in  a  jar,  and  1  was  just 
gathering  some  sticks  that  I  might  make  a 
fire,  and  make  the  flour  and  oil  into  a  little 
cake,  that  I  and  my  son  might  eat  it ;  and  as 
we  have  no  more  food,  when  we  have  eaten 
t  we  must  Hie. 

Would  Elijah  take  all  the  poor  widow's 
food  ?     God  had  told  Elijah  what  to  say. 

Elijah  said  to  the  widow,  Go  and  make  a 
little  cake  for  me  first,  and  afterwards  make 
one  for  you  and  your  son  ;  for  God  has  said, 
that  there  shall  always  be  some  flour  in  your 
barrel,  and  some  oil  in  your  jar,  till  He  sends 
rain  again  upon  the  earth. 

What  a  wonderful  promise  this  was.  Did 
the  widow  believe  it?  Yes,  she  did.  Sh« 
^rent  and  made  a  fire,  and  mixed  the  flour  and 


ELIJAH — THE   WIDOW.  161 

oil  together,  and  made  some  bread  for  Elijah, 
and  then  she  made  some  for  herself  and  hei 
son ;  and  still  there  was  flour  in  the  barrel, 
and  oil  in  the  jar ;  and  every  day  she  found 
enough  flour  and  oil  to  make  bread  for  them 
all. 

Elijah  came  and  lived  with  this  poor  widow  ; 
he  lived  in  a  room  up-stairs  in  her  house. 
This  widow  found  it  was  a  good  thing  to  have 
such  a  man  as  Elijah  in  the  house.  Why  was 
it  such  a  good  thing  ?  Because  God  made  the 
flour  and  oil  last.  Besides  this,  Elijah  could 
teach  this  poor  woman  about  God ;  for  you 
know  that  she  had  been  brought  up  to  wor- 
ship idols. 

Elijah  loved  God,  and  wished  all  the  people 
to  love  Him. 

Now  you  shall  hear  of  a  very  sad  thing 
that  happened  to  this  poor  woman.  One  day 
her  son,  who  was  a  little  boy,  fell  sick  ;  and  he 
was  so  very  sick  that  he  died,  and  there  was 
no  breath  left  in  him.  The  poor  widow  was 
very  unhappy.  She  knew  that  God  had  let 
him  die,  and  she  thought  that  God  was  angry 
with  her ;  and  she  wished  that  Elijah  had  not 
come  to  her  house  ;  and  she  went  to  Elijah, 


152      PEECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

and  spoke  .angrily  to  him.  It  was  very  un 
grateful  in  her  to  behave  in  this  manner. 
Then  Elijah  said,  Give  me  thy  son. 

Now  the  widow  was  holding  the  dead  child 
in  her  arms,  and  Elijah  took  the  child  in  his 
own  arms,  and  carried  him  to  his  own  room, 
and  laid  him  on  his  bed.  Then  Elijah  began 
to  pray  to  God.  0  Lord  my  God  I  he  said,  hast 
thou  made  this  sad  thing  happen  to  the  wid- 
ow I  live  with  ?     Hast  thou  killed  her  son  ? 

Then  Elijah  stretched  himself  upon  the 
child,  as  it  lay  dead ;  he  did  so  three  times, 
and  he  prayed  to  God,  saying,  0  Lord  my 
God !  I  pray  thee  let  this  child's  soul  come 
into  him  again. 

And  the  Lord  heard  Elijah's  prayer ;  and 
he  let  the  child'cj  soul  come  into  him  again, 
and  then  the  child  was  alive  again.  Then  it 
was  warm,  and  it  breathed.  Oh !  how  glad 
Elijah  must  have  been.  How  kind  it  was  in 
God  to  hear  Elijah's  prayer.  God  let  the 
poor  widow  know  that  Elijah's  God  was  the 
true  God,  and  could  make  people  alive.  Elijah 
took  the  child  in  his  arms,  and  brought  him 
down  stairs,  and  gave  him  to  his  mother  again, 
$nd  said  to  her,  See,  thy  son  is  alive.    "Was 


ELIJAH — THE  WIDOW.  158 

she  angry  now  with  Elijah?  Oh!  no.  JSTow, 
said  she,  I  see  that  you  are  a  man  of  God 
and  all  that  you  tell  me  about  God  is  true. 

Now  I  hope  the  widow  believed  all  that 
Elijah  said,  and  I  hope  she  loved  the  God  who 
had  been  so  very  kind  to  her,  and  given  her 
food,  and  made  her  child  alive  again. 

God  still  hears  people  when  they  pray,  but 
he  does  not  always  make  children  alive  again  ; 
but  he  will  make  you  alive  again,  dear  child, 
when  the  last  trumpet  sounds,  if  you  love 
him.  Some  day  your  body  will  lie  in  the 
ground,  and  then  I  hope  your  soul  will  be 
with  God ;  and  when  Christ  comes  in  the 
clouds,  and  the  trumpet  sounds,  then  your 
body  will  rise  from  the  grave,  and  your  soul 
and  body  will  be  joined  together  again.  Oh, 
what  a  happy  day  that  will  be  to  those  who 
love  God  I 


J  64  PRECEPT  UPON  PEECEPT. 

LESSON  XXVI. 

ELIJAH,    OR    THE    TWO    ALTARS. 

1  Kings,  18 : 1-40. 

Elijah  lived  a  long  time  with  the  pool 
widow.  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  the  wicked  king 
and  queen,  did  not  know  where  he  was  hid. 
They  would  have  been  glad  to  find  him,  that 
they  might  kill  him.  Ahab  sent  to  all  the 
countries  round  to  look  for  him ;  but  no  one 
could  find  him.  Why  was  king  Ahab  angry 
with  Elijah  ?  Because  Elijah  had  told  Ahab 
that  God  was  angry  with  him  for  worshipping 
idols.  You  know  that  wicked  people  once 
hated  Jesus,  because  He  told  them  of  their  sins. 

The  Israelites  were  very  unhappy  because 
they  had  very  little  food ;  even  king  Ahab 
had  not  grass  enough  in  his  fields  for  his 
horses,  so  that  a  great  many  of  them  died. 

Elijah  was  sorry  for  the  poor  Israelites,  and 
he  prayed  to  God  to  send  rain,  that  more  corn 
and  grass  might  grow.  God  heard  this  prayer, 
and  he  told  Elijah  that  he  would  soon  send 
rain;  but  first  he  told  Elijah  to  go  and  show 
himself  to  king  Ahab. 


ELIJAH — THE  TWO  ALTARS.  15£ 

Do  you  not  think  that  Elijah  would  be 
afraid  to  go  to  king  Ahab  ?  But  Elijah  did 
what  God  told  him ;  for  he  knew  that  God 
could  take  care  of  him.  So  Elijah  left  the 
poor  widow  and  her  son,  and  set  out  on  a  long 
journey  to  the  place  where  Ahab  lived.  1 
think  that  the  widow  must  have  been  sorry 
when  Elijah  went,  for  he  had  fed  her  ana 
taught  her  about  God ;  but  God  had  promisea 
to  make  her  flour  and  oil  last  till  he  sent  rain, 
and  the  rain  had  not  yet  come. 

Now  while  Elijah  was  on  his  way  to  king 
Ahab,  he  met  a  very  good  servant  of  Ahab's. 

This  servant  was  looking  for  some  grass  for 
king  Ahab's  horses.  The  servant  knew  Elijah 
when  he  saw  him ;  and  he  was  very  much 
surprised,  for  it  was  a  long  while  since  any 
one  in  Canaan  had  seen  Elijah.  This  good 
servant  fell  on  his  face  before  Elijah,  and  said, 
Art  thou  my  lord  Elijah? 

Then  Elijah  said,  I  am :  go  and  tell  your 
lord  king  Ahab,  that  I  am  here. 

Then  the  servant  was  afraid,  for  he  thought 
that  while  he  was  gone  to  tell  Ahab  where 
Elijah  was,  that  God  would  take  away  Elijah 
to  some  other  place,  and   then  that  Ahab 


156      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

would  be  angry  with  his  servant  and  Jail  him. 
Ahab  was  a  cruel  master,  and  his  servant  was 
afraid  of  making  him  angry. 

But  Elijah  promised  that  he  would  stay  in 
that  place  till  king  Ahab  came  ;  so  the  servant 
believed  Elijah's  promise,  and  he  went  to  look 
for  king  Ahab. 

Ahab  was  in  another  place,  looking  for  grass 
for  his  horses.  His  good  servant  told  him 
that  Elijah  was  waiting  to  see  him.  So  Ahab 
name  to  the  place. 

When  Ahab  saw  Elijah,  he  spoke  angrily  tc 
him,  and  said,  Are  you  the  man  that  troubles 
the  people  of  Israel  ? 

Ahab  thought  it  was  Elijah  who  had  asked 
God  not  to  let  the  rain  come. 

Then  Elijah  said  to  Ahab;  It  is  not  I  that 
trouble  the  people  of  Israel ;  it  is  you  that 
have  made  these  troubles  come  by  your  wick- 
edness. You  have  not  obeyed  God,  and  you 
have  worshipped  Baal. 

Then  Elijah  told  Ahab  what  he  wanted 
nim  to  do.  He  told  him  to  get  all  the  prophets 
of  Baal  together,  and  send  them  to  him  to  a 
very  high  hill  or  mountain. 

Would  Ahab  do  what  Elijah  asked  him  ? 


ELIJAH — THE  TWO  ALTABS.  157 

Yes,  he  would,  because  lie  wanted  rain,  and 
he  thought  that  Elijah  could  ask  God  to  send 
it.  I  think  that  Ahab  was  afraid  of  killing 
Elijah,  lest  (rod  should  send  no  rain. 

One  morning  very  early  Elijah  was  on  the 
high  mountain  with  Baal's  wicked  prophets, 
and  a  great  many  people  were  standing  all 
round ;  and  king  Ahab  was  there,  but  Jezebel 
was  not  there. 

What  could  Elijah  have  to  say  to  the  peo- 
ple? 

He  wanted  them  to  see  that  his  God  was 
the  true  God ;  so  Elijah  said  to  them,  Let 
Baal's  prophets  take  a  bullock  and  kill  it,  and 
lay  it  on  an  altar,  and  then  let  them  ask  Baal 
to  send  fire  from  heaven  to  burn  up  the  bul- 
lock. I  will  take  another  bullock  and  kill  it, 
and  lay  it  on  an  altar,  and  I  will  ask  the  Lord 
to  send  fire  from  heaven ;  and  if  Baal  send 
fire,  then  you  will  know  that  he  is  the  true 
God  ;  but  if  my  God  send  fire,  then  you  will 
know  that  He  is  the  true  God. 

The  people  liked  what  Elijah  said,  and  they 
answered,  It  is  well  spoken. 

Then  Elijah  told  Baal's  prophets  to  take 
their  bullock  first.  So  thev  took  it  and  killed 
14 


158  PRECEPT    UPOiN    PRECEPT. 

it,  and  put  h  on  the  altar  with  some  wood ; 
but  they  put  no  fire  to  the  wood.  Then  they 
began  to  pray  to  their  god  to  send  fire.  They 
cried,  0  Baal !  hear  us.  They  went  on  calling 
out,  0  Baal !  hear  us,  till  twelve  o'clock ;  and 
they  jumped  about  the  altar,  as  they  used  to 
do  when  they  prayed  to  him. 

How  tired  they  must  have  been,  after  call- 
ing out  so  long,  0  Baal  I  hear  us. 

At  last  Elijah  said  to  them,  Cry  louder. 
Perhaps  your  Grod  is  talking,  or  perhaps  he  is 
hunting,  or  perhaps  he  is  taking  a  journey,  or 
perhaps  he  is  asleep,  and  you  must  awake 
him. 

Was  Elijah  speaking  in  earnest?  Oh !  no; 
he  knew  that  Baal  was  nothing  at  all :  only 
those  foolish  people  said  that  there  was  a  god 
called  Baal,  and  made  images  that  they  said 
were  like  him. 

Still  the  prophets  of  Baal  went  on  praying 
for  fire ;  and  at  last  they  cut  themselves  with 
knives,  and  made  their  blood  flow,  because 
they  thought  it  would  please  Baal ;  they 
thought  he  was  a  cruel  god  that  liked  their 
blood.  So  they  went  on  till  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  ;  but  no  fire  came  from  heaven. 


ELIJAH — THE  TV;  4W3S.  A59 

Then  Elijah  said  it  was  tvne  to  ask  his  God 
to  send  fire;  so  Elijah,  built  an  altar  with 
twelve  stones,  and  he  laid  some  wood  on  the 
altar,  and  he  laid  a  bullock  on  the  wood  ; 
and  then  he  desired  the  people  to  throw 
twelve  barrels  of  water  over  the  altar.  There 
was  a  river  just  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill, 
where  people  could  get  the  water;  Elijah 
jnade  a  ditch  all  round  the  altar,  and  this 
ditch  was  quite  filled  with  water,  and  the 
altar  was  quite  wet. 

Why  did  Elijah  wish  the  water  to  be  pour- 
ed over  the  sacrifice  ?  To  show  the  people 
that  he  had  not  hid  any  fire  in  the  altar,  or 
near  it ;  for  if  he  had,  the  water  would  have 
put  it  out. 

Then  Elijah  began  to  pray  to  God.  All 
the  people  were  standing  round,  while  he 
prayed  before  the  altar. 

This  is  what  he  said  :  Lord  God  of  Abra- 
ham, of  Isaac,  and  of  Israel,  [or  Jacob,]  let  it 
be  known  this  day  that  Thou  art  God,  and 
that  I  am  Thy  servant.  Hear  me,  0  Lord ! 
hear  me. 

Did  God  hear  Elijah  ?  Yes ;  the  fire  came 
from  heaven,  and  burnt  up  the  bullock  and 


L60      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

the  altar ;  yes,  the  fire  burnt  the  stones,  and 
even  the  water  that  was  in  the  ditch. 

How  surprised  the  people  were  at  this  sight. 
They  fell  on  their  faces  and  said,  The  Lord 
He  is  the  God !  the  Lord  He  is  the  God  I 

Now  they  saw  that  Baal  was  not  the  true 
God.  So  Elijah  desired  the  people  to  take 
hold  of  the  wicked  prophets  of  Baal,  and  to 
bring  them  down  to  the  river  at  the  bottom 
of  the  hill,  and  to  kill  them  with  swords.  So 
the  blood  of  these  prophets  was  mixed  with 
the  water  in  the  river.  These  prophets  had 
taught  the  people  to  worship  Baal,  so  God 
chose  that  they  should  die. 

Did  the  people  leave  off  worshipping  Baal  ? 
Did  they  mind  what  Elijah  said,  and  pray  to 
his  God  ?    We  shall  soon  hear  what  they  did. 

How  much  they  wished  that  God  would 
send  rain  I  They  must  have  felt  sure  that  if 
God  could  send  fire,  He  could  send  rain. 

He  sends  down  rain  to  make  corn  grow  for 
us,  dear  children ;  does  He  not  ?  Oh !  what 
a  great  God  He  is. 

He  could  send  fire  to  burn  us ;  but  instead 
of  that  He  is  kind  to  tus. 


ELIJAH — THE  TWO  ALTARS.  16\ 

To  CarmeFs  hill,  at  break  of  day, 

Ahab  the  wicked  king  is  come ; 
Elijah,  whom  he  sought  to  slay, 

And  those  who  worship  gods  of  stone ; 
While  people  flock  from  far  and  wide, 
To  see  some  mighty  question  tried. 

They  come  to  know  who  is  the  Lord, 
And  who  can  hear  when  prophets  call ; 

And  who  by  all  should  be  adored, 
Both  high  and  low,  both  great  and 

Oh  1  why  does  Baal  give  no  heed 

To  those  who  cry,  and  leap,  and  bleed  ? 

And  will  the  Lord  again  display 
The  wonders  of  His  mighty  power? 

Oh  I  yes ;  He  hears  Elijah  pray, 

And  flakes  of  fire  the  stones  devour ; 

The  people  on  their  faces  fall, 

And  own  that  God  is  Lord  of  alL 


Elijah  orders  in  that  hour 
The  wicked  prophets  to  be  slain, 

And  then  entreats  the  Lord  to  pour 
Rich  torrents  of  refreshing  rain ; 

And  now  let  Israel  fear  His  name, 

Who  sends  soft  showers,  and  dreadful 


Til  time  that  I  should  make  my  choice, 
And  say  what  God  I  will  obey. 

Lord,  if  I  listen  to  Thy  voice, 
From  Satan  I  must  turn  away; 

14* 


162      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

All  wicked  ways  I  must  forsake, 
And  Thee  for  my  commander  take. 

0  Lord !  I  still  expect  a  day 

When  fire  and  brimstone  will  descend 

And  unrepenting  sinners  slay, 

Who  have  not  Jesus  for  their  friend ; 

What  other  hand  could  save  me  then, 

Should  Thou  my  wretched  soul  condemn  I 


ELIJAH — THE  RA1H.  163 

LESSON  XXVIJ. 

ELIJAH,    OR    THE    RAIN. 

1  Kings,  18  :  41-46;  \9  :  1-8. 

You  have  heard,  dear  children,  how  the 
prophets  of  Baal  were  killed.  Now  Elijah 
knew  that  God  would  soon  send  rain  ;  so  he 
told  Ahab  that  there  would  soon  be  rain,  and 
that  he  might  go  and  eat  and  drink.  So 
Ahab  ate  and  drank,  in  some  place  near  the 
high  hill.  But  Elijah  did  not  eat  and  drink. 
He  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill  to  pray  to 
God.  He  threw  himself  down  upon  the  earth, 
and  bent  down  his  head  very  low. 

Elijah  had  a  servant.  You  have  never 
heard  of  his  servant  before,  and  I  do  not 
know^who  he  was. 

Elijah  told  his  servant  to  stand  up  while  he 
himself  was  praying,  and  to  look  a  great  way 
off  over  the  sea,  and  to  tell  him  what  he  saw. 
Do  you  know  what  Elijah  wished  his  servant 
to  see  ?  What  is  it  comes  before  rain,  those 
dark  things  in  the  sky?  Clouds.  Elijah 
wanted  God  to  send  clouds  in  the  sky,  that 
there  might  be  rain.     The  servant  went  up 


164      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

and  looked  and  then  said  to  Elijah,  There  is 
nothing.  Then  Elijah  told  him  to  go  and 
look  seven  times.  The  seventh  time  the  ser- 
vant came  and  told  Elijah,  I  saw  a  little  cloud 
a  great  way  off,  as  big  as  a  man's  hand. 

Elijah  knew  that  God  had  heard  his  prayer, 
and  that  the  cloud  would  grow  larger,  and 
that  rain  would  soon  be  poured  down.  So  he 
told  the  servant  to  tell  Ahab  to  get  ready  his 
chariot  and  his  horses,  and  to  drive  as  fast  as 
he  could  to  his  own  house,  which  was  a  great 
way  off;  for  that  there  would  soon  be  a  great 
deal  of  rain. 

So  Ahab  rode  in  his  chariot  with  his  horses, 
and  God  made  Elijah  so  strong  that  he  ran 
faster  than  the  horses,  and  he  got  first  to  the 
city  where  Ahab  lived.  While  Ahab  was 
driving,  and  Elijah  was  running,  there  were 
a  great  many  clouds  in  the  sky,  and  soon 
there  was  a  great  rain. 

How  glad  the  people  were  when  the  rain 
came  down.  It  filled  the  dried-up  ponds,  and 
refreshed  the  withered  grass,  and  softened  the 
nard  ground.  Now  the  people  knew  that 
more  corn  and  grass  would  soon  grow  in  the 
fields.    It  was  kind  in  God  to  send  the  rain. 


ELIJAH — THE  RAIN.  165 

Ought  not  the  people  to  love  God,  who  sent 
the  rain,  though  they  had  been  so  wicked  as 
to  worship  Baal? 

Ought  not  we,  dear  children,  to  love  God, 
who  sends  us  rain  so  often,  and  makes  the 
corn  grow?  We  are  sinful,  and  do  not  de- 
serve to  have  rain. 

When  Ahab  got  to  his  own  city  where  he 
lived,  he  found  the  queen  Jezebel  there,  and 
he  told  her  all  that  had  happened :  he  told  her 
how  Baal  did  not  send  fire  from  heaven,  and 
how  God  did  ;  and  he  told  her  how  Elijah  had 
killed  the  prophets  of  Baal. 

Ought  not  Jezebel  to  have  said  she  would 
worship  the  God  who  sent  fire  from  heaven  ? 
But  she  did  not  say  this ;  she  was  very  angry 
with  Elijah,  and  she  sent  a  man  to  tell  him 
that  she  would  kill  him  the  next  day. 

I  think  she  was  afraid  of  Elijah,  or  she 
would  have  desired  the  man  to  kill  him  then , 
but  perhaps  she  thought,  if  she  killed  Elijah, 
there  would  be  no  more  rain. 

When  Elijah  heard  that  Jezebel  wished  to 
kill  him,  he  was  afraid,  and  he  would  not  stay 
in  the  city  where  she  lived ;  but  he  went  very 
quickly  all  through  the  land  of  Canaan,  till  he 


166  PBECEPT  UPON  PEECEPT. 

came  to  a  great  wilderness.  He  did  not  take 
his  servant  with  him,  but  he  went  there  alone. 
In  the  wilderness  there  were  trees  and  hills, 
but  very  few  houses  and  people. 

Elijah  was  quite  alone  in  the  wilderness. 
At  last  he  sat  down  under  a  tree,  and  he 
prayed  to  Grod  to  let  him  die.  Why  was 
Elijah  so  unhappy  ?  He  was  afraid  that  Jez- 
ebel would  kill  him ;  but  he  was  more  un- 
happy because  Jezebel  went  on  in  her  wick- 
edness. Elijah  saw  that  she  would  go  on 
teaching  people  to  worship  idols,  and  he  wish- 
ed every  body  to  love  Grod.  After  Elijah  had 
prayed,  he  lay  down  under  the  tree,  and  went 
to  sleep.  Soon  some  one  touched  him.  Who 
was  it?  An  angel.  The  angel  said,  Arise 
and  eat. 

Then  Elijah  looked,  and  saw  a  fire,  and 
some  bread  near  it  that  had  just  been  baked; 
and  he  saw  a  jug  of  water  close  to  his  head. 
Who  could  have  got  ready  the  bread  and  the 
water  for  Elijah  ?  It  must  have  been  the  an- 
gel. So  you  see  that  an  angel  was  his  servant. 
God  sends  His  angels  to  wait  upon  people  who 
love  Him.  The  angels  like  to  wait  upon  them ; 
they  fly  down  quickly  from  heaven,  whep 


ELIJAH — THE    RAIN.  167 

God  tells  them.    Yes,  dear  children,  I  hopt 
that  the  angels  take  care  of  you. 

Elijah  ate  and  drank  the  bread  and  water, 
and  then  he  lay  down  again,  and  slept.  Bui 
<30on  the  angel  woke  him  again,  and  said, 
Arise  and  eat,  for  you  will  soon  walk  a  great 
way. 

So  Elijah  ate  and  drank  again,  and  after- 
wards Elijah  walked  a  great  way  in  the  wil- 
derness; but  the  angel's  food  had  made  him 
strong,  and  he  lived  without  eating  and  drink- 
ing for  forty  days.  "Was  not  that  a  great 
wonder  ?  God  can  keep  people  alive  without 
food,  if  He  chooses  to  do  so.  Did  He  not 
keep  the  Lord  Jesus  alive  for  forty  days  with- 
out food  ? 

You  see  how  kind  God  was  to  Elijah  when 
he  was  unhappy.  I  have  often  advised  you  to 
pray  to  God  when  you  are  unhappy,  because 
I  know  that  He  can  comfort  you. 

If  you  are  sick,  my  little  darling,  pray  to 
God :  He  can  make  you  well.  If  you  are  in 
disgrace,  pray  to  Him:  He  can  make  you 
good ;  if  you  are  alone,  and  frightened,  praj 
to  Him :  He  can  keep  you  safely. 


lbd  PRECEPT   UPON   PRECEFF. 

LESSON    XXVIII. 
ELIJAH,   OR  THE  CALL  OF  ELISHA. 

1  Kings,  19 :  9,  to  the  end. 

Elijah  walked  for  forty  days  in  the  "wii 
derness  quite  alone,  till  at  last  he  came  to  u 
mountain.  There  he  found  a  cave;  and  he 
went  into  the  cave,  and  slept  in  it.  While  he 
was  in  the  cave,  God  spoke  to  him,  and  asked 
him  why  he  had  come  there. 

You  know,  dear  children,  the  reason  why 
You  know  that  Elijah  had  left  Canaan  be- 
cause of  wicked  Jezebel,  and  God  knew  this ; 
but  He  wished  Elijah  to  tell  Him  why. 

Then  Elijah  said,  The  people  of  Israel  have 
thrown  down  God's  altars,  and  killed  God's 
prophets,  and  I  am  the  only  one  leiv,  and 
they  try  to  kill  me. 

Then  God  told  him  to  come  out  of  the  cave. 
Then  Elijah  came  out,  and  stood  upon  the 
mountain.  And  God  made  a  very  great  wind 
blow,  that  tore  the  mountain  ;  then  God  made 
the  mountain  shake ;  and  then  God  made  a 
fire  come.  How  dreadful  it  must  have  beeD 
to  see  and  hear  these  things.     But  God  wanted 


ELIJAH — THE   CALL   OF  ELISHA.        169 

to  show  Elijah  how  strong  He  was ;  so  that 
Elijah  might  know  that  God  could  take  care 
of  him,  and  could  punish  wicked  people  who 
tried  to  hurt  him.  Then  God  spoke  to  Elijah 
in  a  very  gentle  voice,  and  when  Elijah  heard 
this  voice,  he  covered  his  face  with  his  cloak 
and  went  and  stood  inside  the  cave. 

It  was  kind  in  God  to  speak  to  Elijah  in 
such  a  gentle  voice.  God  loved  Elijah,  and 
wished  to  comfort  him.  But  Elijah  remem- 
bered what  a  great  God  He  was :  so  he  hid 
his  face.  The  seraphim  who  stand  round 
God's  throne  in  heaven,  cover  their  faces  with 
their  wings.  Ought  not  all  people  to  fear  the 
Lord  ?  My  dear  child,  when  you  pray  to  God, 
do  you  remember  what  a  great  God  He  is  ? 
How  can  children  be  so  bold  as  to  look  about 
and  to  play  at  prayer-time  ? 

God  asked  Elijah  again  why  he  came  there, 
and  Elijah  told  the  Lord  again,  that  the  peo- 
ple were  wicked,  and  that  they  wanted  to  kill 
him. 

Then  God  told  Elijah  that  He  would  soon 

punish  the  wicked  people  for  worshipping 

idols ;  and  God  said  that  all  the  people  did 

not  worship  Baal ;  and  that  there  were  a  great 

15 


170      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

many  in  Israel  who  had  never  bowed  theii 
knees  to  Baal,  nor  kissed  his  image. 

Elijah  thought  that  scarcely  any  one  loved 
God  but  himself.  How  glad  he  must  have 
been  when  he  heard  there  were  many  other 
people  besides,  who  loved  God.  God  knows 
who  love  Him,  and  who  do  not.  He  counts 
them  and  remembers  them. 

God  told  Elijah  to  go  and  find  a  man  called 
Elisha,  and  to  anoint  him  to  be  a  prophet. 

Was  not  Elijah  pleased  that  there  was  to  be 
another  prophet  to  teach  people  about  God  ? 

Then  Elijah  left  the  cave  and  went  to  look 
for  Elisha.  At  last  he  came  to  a  field  where 
a  man  was  ploughing.  There  were  twenty- 
four  oxen  drawing  the  plough.  They  were 
harnessed  two  and  two  ;  and  each  pair  had  a 
great  piece  of  wood  over  their  necks,  called  a 
yoke.  A  man  was  walking  by  the  side  of  the 
last  two  of  the  oxen.  The  man's  name  was 
Elisha. 

Elijah  came  up  to  the  man,  and  taking  off 
his  own  cloak,  threw  it  over  the  man's  shoul- 
ders. Why  did  he  throw  the  cloak  over  the 
man  ?  He  wished  to  show  him  that  he  was 
to  come  with  him.;  and  the  man  knew  what 


ELIJAH — THE  CALL   OP  ELISHA.        171 

Elijah  meant,  and  he  left  his  oxen,  and  ran 
after  Elijah,  and  said,  I  will  come  with  thee ; 
only  let  me  first  go  and  kiss  my  father  and 
mother. 

It  was  right  in  Elisha  to  be  ready  to  go 
with  Elijah,  because  Elijah  was  a  prophet  oi 
the  Lord.  I  do  not  wonder  Elijah  wished  to 
go  first  to  take  leave  of  his  father  and  mother, 
and  his  friends.  Dear  children,  would  not  you 
wish  to  take  leave  of  your  parents,  if  you 
were  going  away  from  them? 

Elijah  allowed  the  man  to  go  home  for  a 
little  while.  When  the  man  went  home,  he 
made  a  feast  for  all  his  friends.  He  killed 
two  of  his  oxen ;  and  he  made  a  fire  with  the 
wood  that  was  upon  their  necks,  and  roasted 
them,  and  then  asked  his  friends  to  come  and 
eat  their  flesh. 

Then  he  left  his  home  and  went  after  Eli- 
jah ;  and  he  was  Elijah's  servant.  It  was 
very  right  in  him  to  go  with  Elijah.  Do  you 
think  it  would  have  been  pleasant  to  live  with 
Elijah?  Yes,  it  would  have  been  pleasant  to 
to  hear  Elijah  talk  of  God,  and  to  hear  him 
preach  and  pray.  But  you  know  that  wicked 
people  hated  Elijah^  and  s^.  Ehjah  wa»  iften 


172  PEECEPT  UPOH    FftECEPT.* 

obliged  to  hide  "himself.  If  this  man  nad  not 
loved  God  he  would  have  liked  to  stay  at 
home  with  his  friends  better  than  being  with 
Elijah.  But  he  did  love  God ;  and  God  loved 
him,  and  blessed  him.  God  loves  people  who 
do  what  He  bids  them.  How  pleasant  it  is  to 
obey  God.  Being  with  parents  and  friends 
can  not  make  us  so  happy  as  knowing  that  we 
plsase  God. 

0,  praise  the  Lord  !  for  H*  is  good : 
The  ravens  brought  Elijah  food, 

When  he  from  Ahab  fled  ; 
And  then  he  shared  the  widow's  cake, 
And  next  an  angel  bade  him  wake, 

And  feed  on  heavenly  bread. 

Why  is  Elijah's  soul  cast  down? 
Ah,  hear  that  soft,  that  silver  tone ; 

It  is  Elijah's  Lord : 
He  will  on  him  bestow  a  friend, 
Who  shall  his  wandering  steps  attend, 

And  teach  God's  holy  word. 

CHILD. 

Elijah's  God  is  still  the  same ; 

He  comforts  those  who  fear  His  name, 

When  sunk  in  deepest  grief: 
For  when  they  think  no  friend  is  nigh, 
He  looks  from  heaven  with  pitying  eye, 

And  sends  some  kind  reliel 


ELIJAH — NABOTH'S   VINEYARD  173 


LESSON   XXIX. 

EI  UAH,   OR  THE    VINEYARD   OF  NABOTH 

1  Kings,  21 ;  22 :  34-36 ;  2  Kings,  9 :  30-37. 

I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  a  very  wicked 
thing  that  Ahab  did.  People  who  worship 
idols  always  do  a  great  many  other  wicked 
things  ;  but  people  who  love  God,  hate  lying 
and  stealing,  and  all  wicked  things. 

Ahab  was  very  rich.  He  had  two  houses. 
One  of  his  houses  was  in  one  town,  and  the 
other  of  his  houses  was  in  another  town  a  good 
way  off.  Near  one  of  these  houses  there  was 
a  garden  full  of  vines.  What  fruit  grows  ol 
the  vine  ?  Grapes.  A  garden  of  vines  is  call- 
ed a  vineyard.  This  vineyard  was  close  to 
Ahab's  house,  and  belonged  to  a  man  called 
Naboth.  Ahab  wished  very  much  to  have 
this  vineyard,  that  he  might  make  it  into  a 
garden  for  himself.  So  Ahab  said  to  Naboth, 
If  you  will  give  me  your  vineyard,  I  will  give 
you  a  better  one  instead,  or  I  will  give  you 
some  money  for  it. 

But  Naboth  answered,  No,  I  will  not  sell 
my  vineyard ;  my  father  gave  it  to  ine,  and  I 
do  not  choose  to  sell  it. 
15* 


174      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Was  it  wrong  in  Naboth  not  to  sell  his  vine- 
yard ?  No,  it  was  not  wrong ;  lie  might  keep 
it  if  he  pleased. 

But  Ahab  was  very  angry,  because  he  could 
not  get  the  vineyard ;  and  he  went  home  to 
his  other  house,  and  he  was  so  unhappy  that 
he  lay  down  upon  his  bed,  and  turned  away 
his  face,  and  would  not  eat  any  bread. 

How  foolish  Ahab  was,  to  be  unhappy 
about  a  vineyard.  He  had  a  great  many  beau- 
tiful things,  yet  he  wanted  more.  But  people 
who  do  not  love  God  are  always  wanting 
more  things,  and  are  never  satisfied. 

Now  Jezebel  saw  how  unhappy  Ahab  seem 
ed,  and  she  went  to  him,  and  said,  What  makes 
you  so  sad  ?  why  do  you  not  eat  ? 

And  Ahab  said,  I  asked  Naboth  to  sell  me 
his  vineyard,  and  he  said,  "  I  will  not  sell  it." 

Then  Jezebel  said,  Are  you  not  a  king  ?  Do 
not  be  unhappy  ;  eat  and  drink ;  I  will  give 
you  the  vineyard. 

How  could  Jezebel  get  the  vineyard?  0 
she  had  such  a  wicked  plan  in  her  mind — she 
meant  to  have  Naboth  killed !  So  she  wrote 
some  letters  to  some  wicked  judges  who  lived 
near  Naboth,  and  she  told  them  to  get  some 
other  wicked  people  to  say  that  they  had  heard 


ELIJAH — NABOTH'S  VINEfABD.        176 

Naboth  say  very  wicked  words  against  God 
and  the  king;  and  then  to  order  people  to 
kill  him  for  it 

Then  Jezebel  sent  these  wicked  letters  tc 
the  judges  in  the  town  where  Naboth  lived. 
And  when  they  had  read  them,  they  did  as 
she  told  them.  They  desired  two  men  to  say 
that  they  had  heard  Naboth  say  very  wicked 
words  against  God  and  the  king.  And  then 
the  judges  said  that  Naboth  must  be  killed ; 
and  the  people  took  him  out  of  the  city  and 
threw  great  stones  at  him  till  he  died.  Poor 
Naboth's  blood  flowed  upon  the  ground  and 
the  dogs  licked  it  up.  God  saw  the  blood  of 
Naboth  :  he  was  very  angry  with  the  wicked 
Jezebel,  who  had  ordered  him  to  be  killed  ; 
and  God  was  angry  with  Ahab  too,  because  he 
had  allowed  Jezebel  to  write  the  letters. 

The  judges  who  had  killed  Naboth  sent  to 
Jezebel,  saying,  Naboth  is  stoned,  and  is  dead 

Then  Jezebel  said  to  Ahab,  Go,  and  take 
the  vineyard  of  Naboth  ;  for  he  is  not  alive 
but  dead. 

Then  Ahab  went  to  the  town  where  the 
vineyard  was,  to  take  it  for  his  own,  and  to 
make  it  into  a  garden 


176      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Dear  children,  do  you  think  that  God  will 
punish  Ahab  for  this  wickedness  ? 

Gbd  spoke  to  Elijah,  and  told  him  what 
Ahab  had  done ;  and  God  said,  Go  to  the  vine- 
yard where  Ahab  is,  and  tell  him  that  dogs 
shall  one  day  lick  his  blood. 

So  Elijah  went  to  the  vineyard.  When 
Ahab  saw  him,  he  was  very  sorry ;  for  he 
could  not  bear  to  see  Elijah,  because  he  told 
him  of  his  sins;  and  Ahab  said  to  Elijah, 
Hast  thou  found  me,  0  mine  enemy  ? 

He  called  Elijah  his  enemy.  Then  Elijah 
told  him  that  God  bad  said  that  dogs  should 
lick  his  blood,  and  that  dogs  should  one  day 
eat  up  Jezebel's  body ;  and  that  his  children 
should  be  eaten  by  dogs,  and  picked  by  birds 
after  they  were  dead. 

"What  a  dreadful  message  this  was !  I  am 
glad  to  tell  you  that  Ahab  was  frightened  at 
the  message,  and  was  very  unhappy.  If  Ahab 
had  not  cared  for  what  God  had  said,  God 
would  have  been  still  more  angry  with  him ; 
but  now  God  soon  told  Elijah  to  tell  Ahab 
that  He  would  not  give  him  all  the  punish- 
ment, so  that  his  children  should  not  be  killed 
till  after  Ahab  was  dead :  that  they  would  be 


ELIJAH — NABOTH'S   VINETARD.         177 

eaten  by  dogs  and  birds  some  day,  bat  not  for 
a  long  while ;  yet  dogs  should  lick  up  Ahab's 
blood. 

It  was  very  kind  in  God  not  to  kill  Ahab's 
children  immediately ;  but  God  is  very  kind 
even  to  wicked  people,  though  He  casts  them 
into  hell  at  last. 

Ahab  was  still  wicked :  he  was  sorry-,  not 
because  he  had  offended  God,  for  he  did  not 
love  God,  he  was  only  sorry  for  the  punish- 
ment. He  was  like  Saul;  he  was  not  like 
David. 

I  will  now  tell  you  how  Ahab  was  killed 
at  last. 

A  long  while  afterwards,  Ahab  went  to  fight 
a  battle  against  some  people  who  lived  near 
Canaan.  Ahab  went  to  the  battle  in  a  chariot 
drawn  by  horses.  There  was  a  man  there 
who  shot  an  arrow,  that  went  into  the  body  of 
king  Ahab,  and  the  blood  began  to  flow  out. 
The  driver  of  the  chariot  took  Ahab  back  to 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  as  Ahab  was  on  the 
way  home,  he  died  in  the  chariot.  So  the 
chariot  was  brought  back  to  Ahab's  heme, 
full  of  blood,  and  with  Ahab's  dead  body  in  it 
The  servants  took  the  chariot  to  a  pond  to 


178      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

Wash  it,  and  the  dogs    licked    up  Ahab's 

blood. 

You  remember  that  God  had  told  Elijah 
that  dogs  should  lick  up  Ahab's  blood,  be- 
cause Ahab  had  allowed  Naboth  to  be  killed. 

All  that  God  says  must  come  true. 

Ahab's  body  was  buried  in  a  grave  ;  but  his 
soul,  I  fear,  went  to  hell,  for  he  did  not  love 
God. 

And  what  became  of  wicked  Jezebel  ? 

A  long  while  afterwards  she  was  killed  too. 

A  captain  desired  her  servants  to  throw  her 
out  of  the  window,  and  they  did  so ;  and  her 
blood  was  sprinkled  on  the  wall,  and  on  the 
horses  of  the  captain  and  his  soldiers ;  and  the 
captain  trampled  upon  her  with  his  horse's 
feet.  Then  he  went  in  to  dinner  ;  and  while 
he  was  at  dinner,  the  dogs  ate  up  Jezebel,  so 
that  there  was  nothing  left  of  her  but  the  bone 
of  her  head,  which  is  called  the  skull,  and  the 
bones  of  her  feet  and  hands.  This  was  the 
end  of  that  wicked  woman,  who  had  killed  so 
many  of  God's  good  prophets,  and  encouraged 
Ahab  to  be  wicked. 

What  dreadful  punishments  God  often  sends 
to  wicked  people  at  last  I 


ELIJAH-  — NABOTH'S   VINEYARD.         179 

Now,  dear  children,  will  you  tell  me  what 
Ahab  should  have  done,  when  Naboth  said  he 
would  not  sell  his  vineyard  ?  Should  he  have 
gone  on  wishing  for  it,  and  fretting  about  it  ? 
No,  that  was  very  wicked;  it  was  coveting. 
God  has  said,  Thou  shalt  not  covet.  We 
should  not  wish  for  things  that  God  does  not 
permit  us  to  have.  If  you  see  something  nice 
or  pretty  in  a  shop,  and  you  have  not  money 
enough  to  buy  it,  you  should  not  go  on  wish- 
ing for  it.  If  there  is  nice  fruit  in  your  father's 
garden,  you  should  not  go  and  look  at  it,  and 
wish  for  it ;  but  you  should  turn  away.  If 
your  father  pleases,  he  will  give  you  some. 
If  your  mother  puts  some  cake  in  the  cupboard, 
you  ought  not  to  think  to  yourself,  How  much 
I  wish  I  could  have  some  of  that  cake ;  for  if 
you  do  so,  pe.rhaps  you  will  try  and  take  some 
Satan  wishes  you  to  covet  things.  How  should 
you  prevent  yourself  wishing  for  things  ?  You 
should  pray  to  God  to  take  the  thoughts  out 
of  your  mind  and  to  make  you  think  of  heav- 
enly things.  Instead  of  thinking  so  much  of 
cake,  and  fruit,  and  toys,  and  pretty  clothes, 
God's  spirit  would  make  you  think,  How  pleas- 
ant it  will  be  to  see  the  angels,  and  to  sing 


180      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

00(1*8  praises  to  a  golden  harp,  and  to  see  the 
dear  Lord  Jesus  on  His  throne  of  glory. 

King  Ahab  has  a  palace  grand, 
Fair  gardens  all  around  are  spread, 
Yet  now  he  longs  for  Naboth's  land. 
And  mourning  lies  upon  his  bed. 

Ah,  see  where  murdered  Naboth  bleeds, 
While  hungry  dogs  the  spot  surround; 
The  Lord  abhors  vile  Ahab's  deeds, 
And  Ahab's  blood  shall  stain  the  ground 

What  pleasure  now  can  Ahab  find, 
In  that  sad  spot  where  Naboth  bled? 
Does  not  the  place  recall  to  mind 
The  dreadful  words  the  Lord  has  said  ? 

Satan  tries  ever  to  deceive 
The  souls  he  wishes  to  destroy : 
He  first  persuades  them  to  believe 
Some  earthly  thing  will  give  true  joy ; 

Then  leads  them  down  some  crooked  path, 
By  which  that  pleasure  to  attain ; 
But  when  they  taste  God's  dreadful  wratk 
He  laughs,  and  triumphs  in  their  pain. 


ELIJAH — THE  THREE  CAPTAINS.       181 

LESSON    XXX. 

ELIJAH,    OR    THE    THREE    CAPTAINS. 

2  Kings,  1. 

When  Ahab  was  dead,  there  was  another 
king.  He  was  one  of  Ahab's  sons,  and  his 
name  was  A-ha-zi-ah.  He  was  wicked  like 
his  father  Ahab,  and  his  mother  Jezebel.  He 
worshipped  idols. 

After  he  had  been  king  a  h;tle  while,  he 
met  with  a  dreadful  accident.  He  was  in  a 
room  up  stairs,  and  he  fell  out  of  the  window, 
and  hurt  himself  very  much.  He  thought 
that  perhaps  he  should  die,  and  he  wanted 
very  much  to  know  whether  he  should  die, 
or  whether  he  should  get  well.  When  you  are 
sick,  my  dear  child,  who  is  it  knows  whether 
you  shall  get  well  ?  Only  God.  But  Ahazi- 
ah  was  so  foolish  that  he  thought  an  idol  could 
tell  whether  he  should  die  or  live.  So  he 
sent  his  servants  a  great  way  off,  to  an  idol 
that  he  had  heard  of. 

As  the  servants  were  going  to  the  idol,  they 

met  a  man ;  they  did  not  know  who  he  was. 

This  man  was  dressed  in  the  skins  of  beasts 

with  the  Jiair  outside,  and  he  wore  round  hif 

16 


182      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

waLst  a  piece  of  leather  called  a  girdle.  Do 
you  know,  deai  children,  who  this  man  was  ? 
It  was  Elijah.  God  had  told  him  to  go  and 
speak  to  the  servants  of  king  Ahaziah. 

Elijah  told  the  servants  that  God  was  angry 
with  Ahaziah  for  sending  to  an  idol  to  know 
whether  he  should  get  well ;  and  that  God  had 
said  that  he  should  never  come  down  from  his 
bed,  but  should  surely  die. 

How  surprised  the  servants  must  have  been 
when  they  found  that  the  man  they  met  knew 
where  they  were  going,  and  what  the  king's 
message  was.  They  did  not  go  on  to  the  idol's 
house,  but  they  went  back  to  tell  Ahaziah 
what  the  prophet  had  said.  Then  Ahaziah 
thought  that  perhaps  the  prophet  was  Elijah, 
for  Ahaziah  had  often  heard  of  him,  and  per- 
haps he  had  seen  him.  He  said  to  the  servants, 
What  sort  of  a  man  was  he  ? 

And  the  servants  said,  He  wore  clothes  cov- 
ered with  hair,  and  a  leathern  girdle. 

Then  Ahaziah  said,  It  is  Elijah. 

Ahaziah  was  very  angry  with  Elijah  for 
having  said  that  he  should  di^  and  he  wanted 
to  see  him ;  but  he  knew  that  Eliiah  could 
do  wonders,  so  he  determined  to  send  a  great 


JBLIJAH— THE  THREE  CAPTAINS.       183. 

many  men  to  find  Elijah,  and  to  make  him 
come.  So  he  ordered  a  captain  to  take  fifty 
soldiers  with  him,  and  to  go  and  bring  Elijah. 

The  captain  fonnd  Elijah  sitting  on  the  top 
of  a  hill ;  and  the  captain  spoke  to  him  in  a 
rude  manner,  and  said,  Thou  man  of  God,  the 
king  hath  said,  Come  down. 

Elijah  said,  If  I  be  a  man  of  God,  then  let 
fire  come  down  from  heaven,  and  burn  up  you 
and  your  fifty  men. 

And  the  fire  came  down  from  heaven,  and 
burned  up  the  captain  and  his  fifty  men. 

How  dreadful  it  must  have  been  to  see  all 
these  men  burned  up  in  a  moment !  How 
easily  God  can  punish  wicked  people  when  he 
chooses  it !  He  might  have  burnt  us  up  if  he 
had  chosen  it,  but  he  has  been  very  kind  to  us. 

Ahaziah  found  that  the  captain  and  the  sol- 
diers did  not  come  back.  Then  Ahaziah  sent 
another  captain  with  fifty  soldiers ;  and  this 
captain  found  Elijah  on  the  top  of  the  hill ; 
and  he  said,  0  man  of  God !  thus  hath  the 
king  said,  Come  down  quickly.  You  see  that 
this  captain  spoke  even  more  rudely  than  the 
other  captain  had  done,  for  he  said  Come  down 
quicklv. 


184      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

And  Elijah  answered,  If  I  be  a  man  of  God, 
let  fire  come  down  from  heaven,  and  burn  yon 
up,  and  your  fifty  men.  And  the  fire  of  God 
came  down  from  heaven,  and  burned  them  up. 
So  these  soldiers  never  returned  to  king  Aha- 
ziah. 

Then  he  sent  another  captain  and  fifty  other 
soldiers.  Now  this  captain  had  heard  what 
had  happened  to  the  other  captains.  Do  you 
not  think  that  he  must  have  been  very  much 
frightened  when  Ahaziah  told  him  to  go  and 
bring  Elijah  ?  "What  could  this  poor  captain 
do  ?  The  king  would  have  been  very  angry 
if  he  had  said  he  would  not  go.  This  is  what 
the  captain  did.  He  went  to  Elijah,  and  be- 
haved in  a  very  humble  manner.  He  threw 
himself  down  upon  his  knees  before  Elijah, 
and  begged  Elijah  to  spare  his  life,  and  the 
lives  of  his  soldiers,  and  not  to  let  them  be 
burnt  up  like  the  other  soldiers.  Was  this 
captain  burnt  up  ?  Oh !  no.  God  was  too 
kind  to  burn  him  up.  The  angel  of  the  Lord 
said  to  Elijah,  Go  down  with  him ;  be  not 
afraid  of  him. 

So  Elijah  went  with  this  captain  to  king 
Ahaziah. 


ELIJAH — THE  THREE   CAPTAINS.       185 

Elijah  found  Ahaziah  lying  sick  in  bed,  and 
Elijah  told  him  that  because  he  had  sent  to 
ask  the  idol  whether  he  should  get  well,  God 
would  never  let  him  get  well,  but  that  he 
should  die  in  that  bed. 

Very  soon  afterwards  king  Ahaziah  died,  and 
there  was  another  king  instead  of  him,  and  he 
was  wicked  like  Ahab  and  Ahaziah. 

Are  you  not  surprised  that  Ahaziah  did  not 
order  his  servants  to  kill  Elijah?  I  suppose 
that  he  was  afraid  to  hurt  Elijah  ;  for  God,  you 
see,  took  care  of  him. 

Are  you  afraid,  dear  children,  lest  God 
should  send  you  to  hell  ,and  let  you  burn  for 
ever  and  ever  ?  Then  you  must  do  as  the  last 
captain  did.  You  must  pray  to  God  to  spare 
you,  and  he  will  hear  you,  bsaaiwe  Christ 
died  for  you. 


tSft  PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON    XXXI. 

ELIJAH,    OR    THE    CHARIOT    OF    FIRE 

2  Kings,  2 : 1-15. 

You  remember,  dear  children,  that  Elijah 
once  wished  to  die.  But  God  chose  that  Eli- 
jah should  never  die,  but  should  go  up  to 
heaven  without  dying.  How  pleased  Elijah 
must  have  been,  when  he  knew  that  God 
meant  to  do  this.  Should  not  you  like,  my 
dear  child,  to  be  caught  up  into  heaven  to  see 
God,  and  to  sing  with  the  angels  ?  But  God 
chooses  that  we  should  die,  and  that  our  bodies 
should  be  put  in  the  ground.  Yet  if  Christ 
were  to  come  again  while  we  were  alive,  then 
we  should  be  caught  up  into  heaven  without 
dying,  if  we  loved  Jesus ;  but  perhaps  Jesus 
may  not  come  for  a  long  while.  When  Elijah 
knew  that  he  was  soon  going  up  into  heaven, 
he  went  to  a  great  many  places  first,  where 
his  friends  lived.  These  friends  were  some 
good  young  prophets,  who  lived  together  and 
learned  about  God. 

Once  Elijah  had  no  friends ;  he  thought  that 
nobody  loved  God  but  himself;  but  now  he  had 
a  great  many  friends.    These  young  prophets 


ELIJAH — THK   CHAPJOT   OF   FIRE.       187 

knew  that  Elijah  was  soon  going  up  to  hea- 
ven. I  think  they  must  have  felt  sorry  to 
part  with  him ;  only  they  knew  that  he  was 
going  to  be  happy. 

Elisha  wished  very  much  to  see  Elijah  go 
up  to  heaven.  What  do  you  think  he  deter 
mined  to  do  ? 

To  keep  close  to  Elijah,  and  not  to  leave 
him.  Elijah  said  to  him,  Pray  stay  at  this 
place,  while  I  go  to  another  place,  where  thb 
Lord  has  told  me  to  go. 

And  Elisha  said,  I  will  not  leave  thee. 

Soon  afterwards  Elijah  said,  Stay  at  thi* 
place,  while  I  go  on. 

No,  said  Elisha,  I  will  not  leave  thee. 

Soon  Elijah  said  again,  Stay  at  this  place, 
while  I  go  on. 

No,  said  Elisha,  I  will  not  leave  thee. 

So  Elijah  and  Elisha  walked  a  great  way 
together  from  place  to  place.  At  last  they 
came  to  the  river  Jordan.  Then  Elijah  took 
off  his  cloak,  and  folded  it  up,  and  struck  the 
waters  with  it ;  and  God  made  a  path  through 
the  waters,  and  Elijah  and  Elisha  walked 
through  the  river  on  dry  ground. 

After  they  were  gone  over  the  river,  Elijah 


188      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

saia  to  Elisha,  Ask  what  1  shall  do  for  thee 
before  I  be  taken  away  from  thee. 

For  what  did  Elisha  ask  ?  He  wished  to 
De  such  a  prophet  as  Elijah  was,  so  he  asked 
for  a  great  deal  of  his  spirit.  Was  not  this  a 
good  thing  to  ask  for  ?  Elisha  wished  to  be 
a  great  prophet,  that  he  might  teach  people 
about  God.  He  did  not  want  people  to  praise 
him  ;  he  wanted  them  to  praise  God. 

Elijah  said,  You  have  asked  a  hard  thing, 
but  if  you  see  me  when  I  am  taken  from  you, 
it  shall  be  so ;  but  if  not,  it  shall  not  be  so. 

How  much  Elisha  now  hoped  that  he  should 
see  Elijah  go  up  to  heaven. 

They  still  walked  on,  and  talked  to  each 
other.  What  do  you  think  they  talked  about? 
I  am  sure  that  they  did  not  talk  of  foolish 
things.  I  think  they  talked  of  God,  and  of 
heaven,  and  of  what  they  could  do  to  please 
God.  How  happy  Elijah  must  have  felt  when 
he  knew  he  was  soon  going  to  see  the  God  he 
loved  so  much. 

As  they  were  talking,  there  came  down 
from  heaven  a  chariot,  and  horses  of  fire — 
that  is,  angels,  who  are  bright  like  the  fire — 
and  Elijah  was  taken  away  from  Elisha,  and 


ELIJAH — THE  CHARIOT  OF  FIRE.       189 

earned  up  into  heaven  :  and  Elisha  saw  him 
go  up ;  and  he  cried  out,  My  father,  my  fa- 
ther I 

Elisha  loved  Elijah  as  if  he  had  been  his 
father;  for  he  had  taught  him  about  God. 
Elisha  was  very  sorry  to  lose  his  dear  friend. 
As  Elijah  was  taken  away,  his  cloak  fell  from 
him,  and  Elisha  picked  it  up,  and  when  he 
came  back  to  the  river  Jordan,  he  struck  the 
waters  with  it  as  Elijah  had  done,  and  the 
waters  went  up  on  each  side,  and  there  was  a 
dry  path,  and  Elisha  walked  over  alone. 

Then  Elisha  saw  that  God  had  made  him 
such  a  prophet  as  Elijah  had 'been.  Some  of 
Elijah's  friends  were  standing  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  they  saw  the  wonder 
that  Elisha  had  done,  and  they  said,  The 
spirit  of  Elijah  is  in  Elisha.  And  they  came, 
and  bowed  themselves  down  to  him. 

These  young  prophets  used  to  mind  what 
Elijah  said,  and  now  they  wished  to  mind 
Elisha. 

Now  Elisha  began  to  go  about  from  place 
to  place,  as  Elijah  had  once  done,  and  teach 
people  about  God,  and  do  wonders,  to  show 
people  that  his  God  was  the  true  GocL 


190      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

You  see,  dear  children,  how  happy  God 
made  Elijah  at  last.  Once  Elijah  had  been 
obliged  to  hide  himself,  because  wicked  peo- 
ple had  tried  to  kill  him ;  and  he  had  often 
felt  unhappy,  because  people  would  not  turn 
to  God.  At  last  his  tears  were  wiped  away, 
and  he  went  in  a  bright  chariot  to  heaven.  I 
wish,  my  dear  child,  you  would  begin  now  to 
pray  to  God,  and  to  think  of  him.  How  hap- 
py you  would  be  at  last. 

Oh !  no ;  Elisha  will  not  leave 

His  father  and  his  guide ; 
Till  the  last  hour  he'll  closely  cleave 

To  his  beloved  side : 
In  vain  Elijah  bids  him  stay ; 
He  still  attends  him  on  his  way. 

A  gift  Elijah  bids  him  choose, 

Ere  he  ascends  on  high ; 
For  heavenly  grace  Elisha  sues, 

And  begs  a  large  supply. 
Does  not  this  hope  console  his  heart, 
That  dreads  with  one  beloved  to  part  t 

The  voice  he  soon  no  more  shall  hear 
Still  speaks  of  heave aly  things; 

But  now  Elijah  must  appear 
Before  the  King  of  kings: 

A  car  of  fire  and  angels  bright, 

Convey  him  to  the  worlds  of  light 


ELIJAH — THE   CHAKIOT  OF  FIKE.       191 

Does  not  Elisha  long  to  go 

Up  to  the  same  abode  ? 
Ah  I  still  he  must  remain  below, 

To  labor  for  his  God  : 
At  last  he  must  submit  to  die, 
Before  he  sees  the  worlds  on  high. 

It  was  indeed  an  honor  rare 

From  God's  all  sovereign  hand, 
No  death  to  see,  but  cleave  the  air 

And  join  the  saintly  band  : 
The  grave's  prepared  for  Adam's  sons, 
Save  those  who  live  when  Jesus  come*. 

Ah  !  then,  the  living  saints  shall  soar 

And  meet  Him  in  the  sky, 
And  death  the  righteous  shall  restore, 

Who  in  the  cold  grave  lie ; 
And  sin  and  sorrow,  death  and  pain, 
Shall  ne'er  be  known  by  them  again, 


192  PRECEPT  UPON   PRECEPT* 

LESSON  XXXH, 

ELISHA,    OR    THE    BEARS. 

2  Kings,  2:  23-25;  4:  1-7. 

Dear  children,  do  you  think  that  people 
loved  Elisha  ?  People  who  loved  God  loved 
Blisha  very  much,  but  wicked  people  hated 
him.  There  were  some  people  who  even 
dared  to  laugh  at  him :  there  were  even  some 
little  children  who  dared  to  mock  him.  I 
will  tell  you  about  these  children. 

Did  you  know  that  people  who  have  no 
hair,  or  only  a  little  hair,  on  their  heads,  are 
called  bald  ?  Elisha  was  bald.  One  day  Eli- 
sha came  near  a  town  where  a  great  many 
people  lived  who  worshipped  idols.  One  of 
the  golden  calves  that  Jeroboam  made  was  in 
this  town.  A  great  many  little  children  came 
out  of  it  and  met  Elisha,  as  he  was  in  the  road ; 
and  they  mocked  him,  and  said,  Q-o  up,  thou 
bald  head ;  go  up,  thou  bald  head.  They 
told  Elisha  to  go  up  to  heaven  as  Elijah  had 
done,  that  they  might  not  see  him  any  more, 
nor  hear  what  he  said. 

How  did  they  dare  to  speak  in  this  way  to 


ELISHA — THE  BEARS.  193 

the  prophet  of  the  Lord  ?  But  some  children 
still  dare  to  take  God's  name  in  vain.  Elisha 
turned  back,  and  looked  on  them,  and  told 
them  that  God  would  send  them  a  dreadful 
punishment. 

The  children  soon  found  that  Elisha  had 
spoken  truth ;  for  two  bears  came  out  of  the 
wood,  and  tore  forty-two  of  these  children 
into  pieces. 

No  doubt  the  children  cried,  and  screamed, 
and  tried  to  run  away,  when  thej  saw  the 
bears  coming;  but  it  was  of  no  use;  they 
could  not  escape ;  the  bears  overtook  them, 
and  killed  them.  What  must  their  parents 
have  said,  when  they  heard  what  had  hap- 
pened to  their  dear  children  ?  You  know,  my 
little  dear,  how  your  mother  would  cry,  if  you 
were  to  be  eaten  up  by  a  bear.  There  are  no 
bears  or  lions  here  to  kill  you ;  but  God  will 
punish  you  in  hell,  if  you  are  wicked.  I  hope 
that  you  do  not  like  to  hear  people  say  bad 
words.  I  hope  that  you  will  never  say  them 
yourself,  and  that  you  will  never  laugh  at 
people  who  love  God. 

You  have  now  heard  what  became  of  wick- 
ed children  who  mocked  Elisha,  and  you  shal] 
17 


194      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

hear  next  of  Elisha's  kindness  to  a  good  poor 
woman. 

This  woman  had  lost  her  husband,  so  she 
was  a  widow.  Her  husband  had  been  a  good 
prophet :  he  had  been  very  poor,  and  had  not 
been  able  to  pay  for  all  the  things  he  had 
bought. 

People  should  never  get  into  debt  so  long  as 
they  have  money  enough  to  buy  bread ;  but 
perhaps  this  poor  prophet  had  not  had  money 
enough  even  to  buy  bread. 

The  poor  woman  came  to  Elisha  and  said, 
My  husband  is  dead.  And  he  did  fear  the 
Lord  ;  but  I  cannot  pay  my  debts,  and  a  man 
is  come  to  me,  to  take  away  my  two  sons  to 
be  slaves. 

The  poor  woman  was  very  unhappy  at  the 
thought  of  losing  her  dear  boys.  Your  moth- 
er, dear  child,  would  not  like  that  you  should 
be  taken  from  her,  and  made  a  slave.  But 
people  in  this  country  cannot  take  you  away 
from  your  parents,  and  make  you  a  slave. 

Elisha  was  sorry  for  this  poor  woman,  and 
he  said,  What  shall  I  do  for  thee  ?  Tell  me, 
what  hast  thou  in  the  house  ? 

And  the  woman  said,  I  have  nothing  but 


ELISHA— THE   BEAKS.  195 

one  pot  of  oil.  This  oil  was  sweet  oil,  and 
was  used  for  food. 

Elisha  said,  Go  and  borrow  a  great  many 
empty  cups,  jugs,  and  basins,  and  bring  them 
into  thy  house,  and  shut  the  door  upon  thee 
and  thy  sons,  and  pour  the  oil  you  have  got 
into  all  these  cups,  and  basins ;  and  when 
they  are  full  of  oil,  put  them  by. 

Could  a  little  oil  fill  a  great  number  of  cups 
and  basins  ?  But  the  woman  knew  that  Eli- 
sha could  do  miracles,  because  God  was  with 
him  to  help  him. 

So  the  woman  did  as  Elisha  had  told  her. 

She  borrowed  the  cups,  jugs,  mugs,  and 
basins,  and  shut  herself  up  in  her  house  with 
her  sons,  and  began  to  pour  out  her  oil.  She 
poured,  and  poured,  and  still  there  was  oil  left 
in  her  pot.  At  last  she  said  to  her  son,  Bring 
me  another  cup.  But  he  said,  There  is  no 
more.  And  then  she  saw  there  was  no  more 
oil  in  her  pot.  So  she  went  to  Elisha,  and 
asked  him  what  she  was  to  do ;  and  he  said, 
Go  and  sell  your  oil,  and  pay  your  debt ;  and 
when  the  debt  is  paid,  keep  all  the  money 
that  is  over  to  buy  bread  for  yourself  and  yoni 
ckildren. 


196      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

How  happy  the  poor  widow  must  have 
been;  and  how  happy  the  boys  must  have 
been.  They  were  going  to  be  made  slaves, 
but  now  they  might  stay  with  their  mother. 
You  see,  dear  children,  how  kind  God  was  to 
them.  I  hope  they  grew  up  to  be  good  like 
their  father. 

But  how  sad  it  is  to  think  of  the  children 
who  were  eaten  up  by  the  bears.  Perhaps 
their  parents  had  not  taught  them  to  love 
God.  But  I  do  teach  you  about  God,  my  dear 
child.  I  hope  you  will  not  make  God  angry 
with  you.  Never  laugh  at  any  person  who 
is  lame,  or  blind,  or  whose  back  is  broken ; 
but,  more  than  all,  never  laugh  at  people  who 
pray  to  God.  Never  laugh  at  any  person 
who  preaches,  either  in  a  church  or  in  the 
streets. 

Our  tongues  were  made  to  bless  the  Lord, 

And  not  speak  ill  of  men ; 
When  others  give  a  railing  word,  * 

We  must  not  rail  again. 


Cross  names  and  angry  words 
To  be  chastised  at  school ; 

And  he  is  in  danger  of  hell  fire, 
That  calls  his  brother  fool 


ELISHA— THE  BEABS.  197 

But  lips  that  dare  be  so  profane, 

To  mock,  and  jeer,  and  scoff 
At  holy  things,  or  holy  men, 

The  Lord  shall  cut  them  off. 

When  children  in  their  wanton  play 

Served  old  Elisha  so, 
And  bid  the  prophet  go  his  way — 
"  Go  up,  thou  bald-head,  go ;" 

God  quickly  stopped  their  wicked  breath, 

And  sent  two  raging  bears, 
That  tore  them  limb  from  limb  to  death, 

With  blood,  and  groans,  and  tears. 

Great  God,  how  terrible  art  thou, 

To  sinners  e'er  so  young ! 
Grant  me  thy  grace,  and  teach  me  how 

To  tame   ad  rale  my  tongue. 

Dm.  Win 

IT 


198      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON    XXXIII. 

ELISHA,    OR   THE    LITTLE    ROOM. 

2  Kings,  4 :  8-37. 

Elisha  used  to  go  about  from  place  to  place 
to  teach  people  about  Grod.  Those  people  who 
loved  God  were  kind  to  Elisha,  and  gave  him 
food. 

There  was  one  very  rich  lady  who  used  to 
ask  Elisha,  whenever  he  passed  by  her  house, 
to  come  in. 

This  kind  woman  wished  that  she  had  in  her 
house  a  room  for  Elisha  to  sleep  in,  and  she 
said  to  her  husband,  Let  us  make  a  little  room 
close  to  our  house  ;  and  let  us  pat  in  it  a  bed, 
a  table,  a  stool,  and  a  candlestick,  that  Elisha 
may  sleep  in  it  when  he  comes  this  way. 

And  the  lady's  husband  allowed  her  to  have 
such  a  little  room  built.  Soon  afterwards  Eli- 
sha came  by  that  way,  and  he  slept  in  the 
room  the  woman  had  built.  Elisha  must  have 
liked  it  very  much — he  could  sit  there  alone, 
and  think  of  God ;  and  he  could  write  in  it, 
because  there  was  a  table  in  it ;  and  when  it 
was  dark  he  could  light  the  candle,  and  go  on 


ELISHA— THE  LITTLE   ROOM.  199 

writing  or  reading.  I  know  that  he  prayed 
to  God  in  this  room ;  for  Elisha  often  prayed 
to  his  God.  I  hope,  my  dear  child,  that  you 
pray  to  God  in  the  room  you  sleep  in. 

Elisha  thought  that  the  woman  had  been 
very  kind  to  make  such  a  nice  room  for  him, 
and  he  wished  to  do  something  to  please  her ; 
for  Elisha  was  grateful :  he  was  very  kind  to 
people  who  were  kind  to  him.  Now  Elisha 
had  a  servant  called  Gehazi.  Elisha  told  Ge- 
hazi  to  ask  the  woman  to  come  to  him.  And 
she  came  and  stood  before  Elisha.  Then  Eli- 
she  thanked  her  for  her  kindness  in  making 
the  room  for  him,  and  he  asked  whether  she 
would  like  to  have  him  speak  to  the  king 
about  her,  so  that  the  king  might  send  for  her, 
and  take  notice  of  her. 

Then  the  woman  said,  No,  she  would  rather 
stay  where  she  was ;  and  then  she  went  out 
of  the  room. 

So  Elisha  said  to  Gehazi,  What  shall  I  do 
for  her  ? 

And  Gehazi  said,  She  has  no  child. 

Gehazi  thought  that  she  would  like  to  have 
a  little  child.  It  was  true  that  this  lady  and 
her  husband  did  wish  for  a  child.     Then  Eli- 


200      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

sha  told  Gehazi  to  call  her  again,  and  she 
came,  and  stood  at  the  door. 

And  Elisha  said  to  her,  Next  year  you 
shall  have  a  son. 

The  woman  was  very  much  surprised  to 
hear  this,  and  she  could  hardly  believe  it. 
Next  year  she  had  a  son.  She  was  very  fond 
of  it  indeed.  She  thought  it  was  very  kind  in 
God  to  give  it  to  her.  Do  you  not  think  she 
loved  Elisha  more  than  ever,  since  he  had 
asked  God  to  give  her  this  child  ? 

One  day  when  the  child  was  grown  old 
enough  to  talk,  he  went  out  with  his  father 
into  a  field  where  men  were  reaping ;  for  his 
father  had  a  great  many  fields  full  of  grain, 
which  his  servants  reaped.  It  was  the  morn- 
ing, yet  the  sun  was  getting  hot,  for  the  child 
soon  cried  out,  My  head,  my  head !  The  child 
felt  such  a  pain  in  his  head,  that  he  could  not 
stay  in  the  field. 

So  the  father  said  to  one  of  his  servants, 
Carry  him  to  his  mother.  The  servant  carried 
him  home  to  his  mother,  and  he  sat  on  her 
knees  till  twelve  o'clock,  and  then  he  died. 

Oh !  how  sad  the  mother  was,  when  she  found 
her  little  boy  was  dead.     I  have  often  heard  of 


KLISHA — THE  LITTLE  ROOM.  201 

little  children  dying  quite  suddenly,  like  this 
poor  little  boy.  Every  day  we  should  think, 
Am  I  ready  to  die,  if  I  were  to  die  to-day  ? 

Now  you  shall  hear  what  the  mother  did 
with  the  dead  child.  She  went  into  the  room 
she  had  made  for  Elisha,  and  laid  him  on  his 
bed,  and  shut  the  door  and  went  out.  Elisha 
lived  at  a  place  a  good  way  off,  and  the  lady 
wished  very  much  to  go  and  see  him.  I  need 
not  tell  you  why  she  wished  to  see  him.  She 
asked  her  husband  to  allow  her  to  have  one 
of  the  servants  to  go  with  her,  and  one  of  the 
asses  for  her  to  ride  upon,  that  she  might  go 
to  Elisha,  and  come  again  soon.  And  her 
husband  said,  Why  do  you  want  to  go  to  Eli- 
sha to-day?  This  is  not  the  Sabbath-day. 
Because  Elisha  used  to  teach  people  about 
God  on  the  Sabbath-day. 

And  the  woman  said,  It  shall  be  well.  But 
she  did  not  tell  her  husband  why  she  wanted 
to  go ;  I  suppose  she  was  afraid  of  grieving 
him.  A  servant  went  with  the  lady,  and  she 
said  to  the  servant,  Go  quickly,  and  do  not 
stop,  unless  I  tell  you. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  hill  where  Elisha 
was.     He  was  with  his  servant  Gehazi ;  and 


202      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

he  saw  the  woman  coming,  while  she  was  still 
a  great  waj  off,  and  he  wanted  to  know  why 
she  was  coining  to  him  so  quickly,  for  he 
thought  that  something  was  the  matter.  So 
he  said  to  Gehazi,  Eun  now  to  meet  her,  and 
eay,  Is  it  well  with  thee  ?  Is  it  well  with  thy 
husband  ?     Is  it  well  with  thy  child  ? 

So  Gehazi  ran,  and  asked  the  woman  whe- 
ther it  was  well  with  them.  And  she  said,  It 
is  well.  Why  did  she  say  it  was  well  ?  Was 
not  her  child  dead  ?  But  she  knew  that  it 
was  well,  or  right,  because  God  had  made  her 
child  die,  and  she  knew  that  all  that  God  does 
is  well.  Yet  the  poor  lady  felt  very  unhappy. 
When  she  came  up  to  Elisha,  she  got  off  her 
ass,  and  threw  her  arms  round  Elisha's  feet, 
and  Gehazi  was  going  to  thrust  her  away. 
Was  not  that  very  unkind?  But  Elisha 
would  not  let  him  d  j  so,  but  said,  Let  her 
alone  ;  she  is  very  unhappy,  and  God  has  not 
told  me  what  has  happened  to  her.  Elisha 
only  knew  such  things  when  God  told  him. 

Then  the  woman  said  to  Elisha,  Did  I  ask 
you  for  a  son  ? 

Then  Elisha  saw  that  her  son  was  dead. 
So  Elisha  gave  his  own  staff  or  stick  to  Ge- 


ELISHA — THE   LITTLE  ROOM.  203 

hazi,  and  told  him  to  go  quickly,  and  not  to 
stop  to  speak  to  any  one  by  the  way,  and  to  lay 
the  staff  upon  the  face  of  the  child.  But  the 
woman  would  not  go  with  Gehazi ;  she  said  to 
Elisha,  I  will  not  leave  thee.  She  liked  better 
being  with  Elisha,  than  with  unkind  Gehazi. 
She  knew  that  Elisha  loved  God  :  Gehazi  did 
not  love  God,  he  was  wicked ;  but  I  am  not 
sure  whether  the  woman  knew  that  he  was 
wicked,  for  he  pretended  to  be  good. 

Gehazi  went  on  first,  and  laid  the  staff  on 
the  child's  face,  but  the  child  did  not  hear  his 
voice,  nor  speak  ;  he  remained  quite  dead.  So 
Gehazi  went  back,  and  met  Elisha  coming 
along  with  the  woman,  and  Gehazi  said,  The 
child  is  not  awaked. 

At  last  Elisha  came  to  the  house.  He  went 
into  his  own  little  room,  and  found  the  child 
lying  dead  on  the  bed,  and  he  shut  the  door, 
and  he  staid  in  the  room  alone  with  the  dead 
child.  Then  he  prayed  to  God  to  make  him 
alive  again  ;  and  then  he  lay  upon  the  child, 
putting  his  mouth  upon  the  child's  mouth, 
and  his  eyes  upon  the  child's  eyes,  and  his 
hands  upon  the  child's  hands,  and  he  stretched 
himself  upon  him,  and  the  child's  flesh  began 


204      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

to  grow  warm.  Then  he  got  up,  and  walked 
up  and  down,  and  then  he  stretched  himself 
again  over  the  child ;  and  the  child  sneezed 
seven  times,  and  the  child  opened  his  eyes. 

Then  Elisha  called  Gehazi,  and  desired  him 
to  tell  the  woman  to  come.  And  when  she 
came  into  the  room,  Elisha  said,  Take  up  thy 
son  ;  for  the  child  was  lying  on  the  bed  Oh ! 
how  glad  the  mother  was ;  how  thankful  to 
God,  and  to  Elisha.  Before  she  took  up  the 
child,  she  fell  at  Elisha's  feet,  and  bowed  her- 
self to  the  ground,  and  then  she  took  up  her 
child,  and  went  out  of  the  room. 

Was  not  this  a  great  wonder  that  Elisha 
had  done  ?  # 

Elijah  once  made  a  widow's  child  alive 
again;  and  now  Elisha  made  a  child  alive 
again  :  for  Elisha  was  such  a  prophet  as  Eli- 
jah had  been,  and  could  do  wonders  like  him. 
God  had  promised  that  he  should  be  like  Eli- 
jah, if  he  saw  him  taken  up  to  heaven  ;  and 
God  kept  his  promise. 

Ought  not  the  people  of  Israel  to  ha^ve 
minded  all  that  Elisha  said,  when  they  heard 
of  the  wonders  that  he  did  ?  They  might  be 
quite  sure  that  Elisha  was  a  true  prophet. 


ELISHA — THE   LITTLE   ROOM.  205 

Does  God  now  make  little  children  alive 
when  the j  die?  No;  he  waits  till  the  last 
day:  then  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  all 
the  children's  bodies  shall  rise  from  their 
graves,  and  the  bodies  of  holy  children  shall 
be  taken  up  to  heaven,  but  the  bodies  of 
wicked  children  shall  be  burned  in  hell. 

EHsha  of  the  kindness  shared 

Of  one  who  lands  possessed  ; 
A  little  chamber  she  prepared, 

Where  safely  he  might  rest. 

The  prophet  soon  implored  his  God 

Her  kindness  to  requite  ; 
And  God  a  little  child  bestowed, 

In  whom  she  took  delight. 

This  little  child,  one  summer  morn, 

Into  the  fields  was  tec  ; 
And  as  he  stood  among  fhe  corn, 

He  cried,  "  My  head,  my  head  !" 

The  father  bade  a  lad  convey 

The  child  unto  his  home  ; 
Upon  his  mother's  knees  he  lay, 

And  died  when  noon  was  come. 

The  mother  laid  hira  on  the  bed, 

Within  the  room  she  built, 
And  to  the  place  with  haste  she  sped, 

Where  good  Elisha  dwelt. 


206      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 

From  far  Elisha  saw  her  come, 
And  longed  her  grief  to  know ; 

He  bade  Gehazi  quickly  run, 
And  hear  her  tale  of  woe. 

And  did  the  woman  say,  "  'Tis  well,* 
Nor  murmur  with  her  tongue, 

Though  mothers'  hearts  alone  can  teii 
What  grief  her  bosom  wrung. 

In  this  distress  she  placed  her  trust 
In  God's  great  love  and  power ; 

She  knew  that  he  who  gave  him  first, 
Could  now  her  child  restore. 

Ah !  soon  to  heal  the  mother's  pain, 
To  God  the  prophet  cries  ; 

The  child  grows  warm,  and  once  again 
He  opes  his  beaming  eyes. 


No  prophet  lives  that  can  perform 

So  wonderful  a  deed  ; 
No  clay-cold  flesh  shall  now  grow  warm 

Although  the  righteous  plead. 

Thfs  is  the  time  to  pray  for  souls, 
That  they  may  pardoned  be ; 

For  rapid  as  a  river  rolls, 
So  hours  and  minutes  flee. 

m  ask  the  righteous  for  their  prayert 

And  I  myself  will  pray, 
u  For  Jesus'  sake,  behold  my  tears, 

And  wash  my  sins  away  " 


KLTSHA — THE   LITTLE    MAID,  207 

LBSSOW   XXXIV. 

ELI8HA,    OR    THE    LITTLE    MAID. 

2  Kings,  5. 

There  were  a  great  many  heathen  people 
who  lived  outside  the  land  of  Canaan.  You 
know,  my  dear  child,  that  people  who  worship 
idols  are  called  "heathen."  Some  of  these 
heathen  people  used  often  to  come  into  Ca- 
naan, and  rob  them,  and  hurt  them.  Why 
did  God  let  the  people  of  Israel  be  robbed  and 
hurt  ?  Because  they  did  not  obey  Him,  and 
mind  what  Elisha  taught  them. 

Once  some  of  those  heathen  people  came, 
and  took  away  a  little  girl  out  of  the  land  of 
Israel ;  and  they  sold  her  for  a  slave  to  wait 
on  a  rich  heathen  lady  in  a  country  a  great 
way  off.  The  lady's  husband  was  called  Naa- 
man,  and  he  was  a  great  captain,  and  could 
fight  well  in  battle. 

But  Naaman  was  very  unhappy,  for  he  had 
a  very  dreadful  disease  called  the  leprosy. 
He  had  very  sore  white  places  on  his  body. 
He  could  not  find  any  body  who  could  cure 
him  of  his  disease.     No  doctors  could  cure 


208      PKECEPT  UPON  PKECEPT. 

him ;  nor  could  any  of  the  priests  of  his  idols 
save  him.  Now  the  little  girl  who  waited  on 
his  wife  had  heard  of  the  wonders  that  Elisha 
did,  and  she  felt  sure  that  he  could  cure  her 
master,  and  she  said,  Oh  !  that  my  master  were 
with  the  prophet  that  is  in  my  country ;  for 
he  would  cure  his  leprosy.  Do  you  think  that 
Elisha  could  cure  Naaman  ?  Yes,  God  often 
helped  Elisha  to  do  wonders. 

Somebody  heard  what  the  little  girl  said, 
and  went  and  told  Naaman.  Naaman  wished 
very  much  to  be  made  well,  and  so  he  deter- 
mined to  go  to  the  land  of  Israel,  and  to  ask 
Elisha  to  make  him  well. 

Now  Elisha  heard  that  he  was  coming,  and 
Elisha  knew  that  God  would  help  him  to 
make  ISTaaman  well ;  and  he  hoped  that  when 
Naaman  was  made  well,  he  would  worship 
the  true  God,  who  could  do  such  wonders ; 
for  Elisha  did  not  wis]}  people  to  praise  him, 
he  wished  them  to  praise  God. 

Naaman  came  into  Canaan  in  a  fine  chariot 
with  horses,  and  he  brought  a  great  many  ser- 
vants with  him.  Naaman  was  very  proud, 
and  he  expected  that  Elisha  would  pay  him  a 
great  deal  of  respect,  because  he  was  so  rich 


eLaSha—the  little  maid.        209 

and  great.  He  drove  up  to  Elisha's  door,  but 
Elisha  did  not  come  out  to  meet  him ;  he  only 
sent  a  messenger,  who  said  to  ISTaaman,  Go 
and  wash  in  the  river  Jordan  seven  times,  and 
your  flesh  shall  be  well. 

Then  Kaaman  was  very  angry,  and  he  said, 
I  thought  that  the  prophet  would  have  come 
out  to  me,  and  would  have  stood,  and  called 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord  his  Grod,  and  struck 
his  hand  over  the  sore  place,  and  made  me 
well.  Besides  being  angry  at  this,  ISTaaman 
did  not  like  to  wash  in  a  river  of  the  land  of 
Canaan ;  he  would  rather  have  washed  in  one 
of  the  fine  large  rivers  of  his  own  country. 
Naaman  was  so  very  angry  that  he  was  going 
home  to  his  own  country,  without  washing  in 
Jordan ;  but  his  servants  came  to  him  to  per- 
suade him  to  wash  in  Jordan.  They  said,  if 
the  prophet  had  desired  you  to  do  some  very 
nard  thing,  would  you  not  have  done  it,  that 
you  might  have  been  made  well?  ISTow  he 
tells  you  to  do  a  very  easy  thing ;  only  to 
wash  in  the  river  Jordan ;  and  will  you  not 
do  it  ?  It  was  kind  in  the  servants  to  try  and 
persuade  Naaman  to  wash  in  Jordan. 

Naaman  listened  to  what  they  said;   h*« 
18* 


210      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

went  to  Jordan,  and  he  dipped  in  it  seven 
times,  and  his  flesh  grew  as  soft  and  smooth 
as  the  flesh  of  a  little  child. 

Now  Naaman  was  very  glad  that  he  had 
done  as  Elisha  had  told  him.  I  hope  he  was 
sorry  for  having  been  in  such  a  passion  at  first 

Where  do  you  think  that  Naaman  went, 
when  he  was  well  ?  Did  he  go  home  imme- 
diately to  his  own  country  again  ?  Oh !  no ; 
that  would  have  been  very  ungrateful.  He 
went  first  to  Elisha's  house,  and  he  brought  all 
his  servants  with  him. 

He  did  not  feel  so  proud  as  he  had  done  be- 
fore :  he  did  not  expect  Elisha  to  come  out  to 
him,  but  he  went  in  to  Elisha ;  and  he  told 
him  that  he  was  sure  that  Elisha's  God  was 
the  true  God,  and  he  promised  that  he  would 
never  worship  idols  any  more.  How  glad  Eli- 
sha must  have  been  to  hear  Naaman  say  that 
he  would  worship  the  true  God. 

Naaman  wished  to  give  Elisha  some  money 
and  some  beautiful  things,  as  a  reward  for 
having  made  him  well ;  so  he  begged  him  to 
take  some  of  the  things  he  had  brought  with 
him.  But  Elisha  would  not  take  any  thing. 
Why  would  not  Elisha  take  any  thing  ?    He 


ELISHA — THE   LITTLE    MAID.  211 

wished  to  show  Naaman  that  he  had  not  made 
him  well  in  order  to  get  money.  You  know, 
dear  children,  that  Elisha  had  made  him  well 
that  he  might  believe  in  the  true  God. 

Naaman  begged  Elisha  very  much  to  take 
something  ;  but  Elisha  still  said  he  would  take 
nothing.  You  see  that  Elisha  did  not  care 
for  money. 

Then  Naaman  set  out  in  his  chariot  to  go 
back  to  his  own  country.  You  remember  that 
Elisha  had  a  servant  called  Gehazi :  Gehazi 
heard  his  master  Elisha  say  he  would  not  take 
any  thing  from  Naaman,  and  Gehazi  wished 
very  much  that  he  could  get  some  of  the  beau- 
tiful things  himself;  so  he  thought  of  a  way 
of  getting  them  by  telling  lies.  Gehazi  was 
a  child  of  Satan,  who  is  the  father  of  liars. 

So  Gehazi  ran  after  Naaman's  chariot ;  at 
last  Naaman  saw  him  running,  and  he  stopped 
the  chariot,  and  got  out,  for  he  was  afraid  that 
something  was  the  matter.  Naaman  said,  Is 
all  well  ?  And  Gehazi  said,  All  is  well,  but 
there  are  two  visitors  at  our  house,  very  good 
men,  who  are  very  poor,  and  my  master  would 
like  some  silver,  and  two  suits  of  clothe^  to 
give  to  them. 


212  PRECEPT  UPON    PRECEPT. 

Was  this  true  ?  Naaman  did  not  know  that 
Gehazi  was  telling  lies ;  so  he  gave  Gehazi 
twice  as  much  silver  as  he  asked  for,  and  put 
it  in  two  bags,  and  he  gave  him  two  suits  of 
slothes,  and  he  desired  two  of  his  servants  to 
carry  them  for  Gehazi ;  and  Gehazi  led  the 
servants  to  a  place  with  thick  walls,  where  he 
used  to  keep  things,  and  he  desired  the  ser- 
vants to  put  them  there.  Then  the  servants 
went  back  to  Naaman,  to  go  with  him  to 
their  own  land. 

Then  Gehazi  went  to  Elisha's  house  to  wait 
upon  Elisha.  He  little  thought  that  Elisha 
knew  of  his  wickedness.  He  thought  that 
Elisha  could  never  find  him  out,  because  Naa- 
man  was  gone  a  great  way  off,  and  could  not 
tell  Elisha  that  he  had  given  some  things  to 
Gehazi.  But  there  was  One  who  saw  him. 
God  saw  him,  and  God  told  Elisha  what  Ge- 
hazi had  done.  And  God  told  Elisha  what 
Gehazi  meant  to  buy  with  the  money.  What 
did  Gehazi  mean  to  buy  with  it  ?  Vineyards 
and  fields,  and  sheep,  and  oxen,  and  slaves. 
And  did  Gehazi  think  that  these  things  could 
make  him  happy,  while  the  great  God  was 
angry  with  him  ? 


ELISHA—  IB*    LITTLE  MAID.  213 

Now  I  will  tell  you  what  Elisha  sa.d  to 
Gehazi  when  he  saw  him. 

He  said  to  him,  where  do  you  come  from, 
Gehazi  ?  And  Gehazi  said,  I  have  not  been 
any  where.  Was  that  true  ?  You  see  that 
Gehazi  told  another  lie  to  hide  his  wickedness. 
Then  Elisha  said,  Did  not  my  heart  go  with 
thee,  when  Naaman  turned  again  from  his 
chariot  to  meet  thee?  Let  the  leprosy  of 
Naaman  be  upon  thee  for  ever.  Immediately 
sore  white  places  came  on  Gehazi's  skin,  and 
he  went  out  of  Elisha's  sight.  Gehazi  could 
not  live  with  Elisha  any  more,  for  people  who 
had  the  leprosy  were  obliged  to  live  by  them- 
selves. I  do  not  know  whether  he  ever  re- 
pented of  his  wickedness.  You  see,  dear  chil 
dren,  how  angry  God  is  with  liars,  and  what 
dreadful  punishments  He  sends  them.  Never 
try  to  get  things  by  telling  lies,  for  if  no  one 
should  find  you  out,  God  sees  you,  and  will 
send  you  to  hell.  Perhaps  you  have  told  lies 
already.  Oh  I  dear  children,  confess  your  lies 
to  God.  He  will  forgive  you,  because  Jesu* 
died  that  sinners  might  be  forgiven. 

Gehazi  thought  no  eye  beheld, 
When  he  the  Syrian's  gift  concealed ; 


214      FKECEPT  JPON  PKECEPT. 

But  God,  to  whom  all  things  are  know* 
His  deeds  had  to  Elisha  shown. 

Though  innocent  he  tried  to  look, 
Yet  sure  the  guilty  servant  shook, 
When  all  the  wicked  plans  he  made 
Were  by  Elisha  open  laid. 

His  greedy  heart  had  longed  to  gain 
Of  men  and  maids  a  goodly  train, 
And  fields  that  yielded  corn  and  wine, 
And  flocks  of  sheep,  and  herds  of  kine. 

But  while  he  dreamt  of  years  of  ease, 
His  flesh  was  filled  with  foul  disease  ; 
Covered  with  scales  of  loathsome  white,. 
He  fled  from  good  Elisha's  sight. 


Oh  1  glory  to  God's  holy  name, 
If  I  have  never  dared  to  frame 
A  lie  so  covetous  and  bold, 
As  that  which  once  Gehazi  told. 

Yet  God  accounts  it  wickedness 
To  wish  for  things  I  don't  possess  ; 
And  I  have  oft  in  secret  sighed 
For  things  that  God  to  me  denied 

Each  thought  is  noticed  by  thine  ey% 
And  written  in  the  book  on  high ; 
I  know  my  sins  are  written  there ; 
For  Jesus'  sake  a  sinner  spare. 


THE  LAST  KING  OF  ISRAEL.  215 

LESSON    XXXV. 

THE  LAST  KING  OF  ISRAEL,  AND  HIS  FEOPLE. 

2  Kings,  11 :  1-24. 

My  dear  children,  I  have  told  you  a  great 
deal  about  Blisha.  You  have  heard  what  a 
great  many  wonders  he  did.  Did  the  people 
of  Israel  mind  what  he  said ;  or  did  they  still 
go  on  in  wickedness  ?  They  went  on  in  their 
wickedness. 

At  last  Elisha  died.  God  did  not  take  him 
up  to  heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire.  He  died  in 
his  bed,  and  his  spirit  went  to  heaven,  but  his 
body  was  buried  in  the  ground.  After  Elisha 
was  dead,  the  people  of  Israel  grew  still  more 
wicked.  King  Ahab  had  been  a  wicked  king, 
and  Ahaziah  his  son  had  been  wicked,  and 
the  next  king  was  wicked ;  and  when  he  died, 
there  was  another  king,  and  he  was  wicked ; 
&nd  at  last  he  died,  and  there  was  another  king, 
and  he  was  wicked ;  and  there  were  a  great 
many  kings  of  Israel,  one  after  the  other,  and 
they  were  all  wicked.  At  last  God  deter- 
mined to  send  a  great  punishment  to  all  the 
people  of  Israel 


216      PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

You  shall  hear  what  it  was. 

There  was  a  king  who  lived  a  great  way 
off,  in  a  country  called  Assyria,  and  the  king 
was  called  the  king  of  Assyria.  He  was  a 
heathen  king,  and  was  vqtj  rich,  and  he  had 
a  great  many  soldiers.  The  king  of  Assyria 
came  with  his  soldiers  into  the  land  of  Canaan, 
and  fought  against  the  people,  and  conquered 
them ;  the  soldiers  got  into  all  their  towns, 
and  took  away  their  things  in  them,  and  they 
took  the  people  away  to  be  their  slaves. 

How  unhappy  the  people  of  Israel  were, 
when  they  were  taken  away  from  their  houses 
and  gardens,  and  obliged  to  go  a  great  way 
offj  and  work  very  hard. 

This  was  the  punishment  G-od  sent  them  at 
last,  because  they  would  worship  idols,  and  do 
many  wicked  things.  They  never  came  into 
their  own  country  again,  but  heathen  people 
came  and  lived  in  it. 

I  hope,  my  dear  children,  that  you  will  not 
be  like  the  people  of  Israel,  for  if  you  aie,  Grod 
will  send  you  some  great  punishment  at  last 
If  he  does  not  punish  you  while  you  live,  lie 
will  as  soon  as  you  are  dead. 


HEZEKIAH.  217 

LESSON    XXXVI. 
HEZEKIAH,  OR  THE  KING  WHO  TRUSTED  IN  GOD 

2  Kings,  18  :  19. 

I  AM  now  going  to  speak  to  you  about  som* 
thing  I  told  you  a  long  while  ago.  I  shall  be 
much  pleased  if  I  find  that  you  have  not  for- 
gotten it,  for  it  is  a  thing  hard  to  remember. 
Do  you  remember  that  God  had  been  angry 
with  king  Solomon,  and  that  God  had  s?id  his 
son  should  be  king  only  over  part  of  Canaan  ? 
What  God  had  said  came  true.  Jeroboam 
took  away  a  great  deal  of  the  land  from  Sol- 
omon's son.  Jeroboam  was  called  the  king  ol 
Israel,  and  Solomon's  son  was  called  1  ing  of 
Judah.  Now  Solomon's  son  lived  in  Jerusa- 
lem, but  Jeroboam  lived  in  the  othei  part  of 
the  land.* 

I  have  told  you  about  some  of  the  kings  ol 
Israel,  about  Ahab  and  Ahaziah ;  but  there 
were  a  great  many  more  besides,  and  they 
were  all  wicked,  so  that  God  let  the  king  of 
Assyria  come  at  last  and  take  the  Ving  and 

•  The  young  reader  should  refer  to  the  map,  irher*  the 
two  kingdoms  may  be  seen. 

19 


218       PBECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

the  people  of  Israel  into  Assyria,  which  was  a 
country  a  great  way  off. 

I  have  not  told  yon  abont  the  kings  of  Ju- 
dah. When  Solomon's  son  died,  his  son  was 
king  of  Jndah ;  and  when  he  died,  his  son  was 
king — and  so  there  were  a  great  many  kings 
one  after  another :  some  of  the  kings  of  Judah 
were  good,  and  some  were  wicked.  At  last 
there  was  a  good  king  called  Hez-e-ki-ah.  He 
lived  at  Jerusalem,  and  he  liked  to  worship 
God  in  the  temple,  and  he  persuaded  a  great 
many  people  to  come  and  worship  God ;  for 
Hezekiah  loved  God. 

Now  you  shall  hear  what  care  God  took  of 
Hezekiah.  God  had  let  the  king  of  Assyria 
take  away  the  people  of  Israel.  Would  God 
let  him  hurt  the  good  king  of  Judah  ?  Hear 
what  God  did. 

The  king  of  Assyria  sent  some  of  his  sol- 
diers to  Jerusalem ;  and  they  brought  their 
tents,  and  waited  all  round  the  city,  and  tried 
to  get  in.  The  walls  around  the  city  were 
high  and  strong,  and  the  people  shut  the  gates 
fast ;  still  they  were  afraid  lest  the  king  of 
Assyria's  soldiers  should  get  in  at  last.  But 
Hezekiah  knew  that  God  could  keep  them 


HEZEKIAH.  219 

from  being  hurt.  The  people  of  Assyria  spoke 
very  wicked  words  against  God,  while  they 
were  waiting  outside  Jerusalem  ;  and  one  day 
the  king  of  Assyria  wrote  a  letter,  and  sent  it 
to  Hezekiah. 

It  was  a  very  wicked  letter ;  this  was  what 
was  written  in  it :  Your  God  can  not  save 
you  from  the  king  of  Assyria,  who  has  con- 
quered a  great  many  countries :  the  gods  of 
those  people  could  not  save  them,  neither  can 
your  God  save  you. 

Some  men  brought  this  letter  to  king  Hez- 
ekiah, and  he  read  it.  He  could  not  bear  to 
read  such  wicked  words  against  God ;  so  he 
took  it  into  the  temple,  and  spread  the  letter 
before  God,  and  began  to  pray.  He  said,  0 
God  I  Thou  art  the  true  God ;  Thou  hast  made 
heaven  and  earth.  Other  Gods  are  only  idols, 
made  of  wood  and  stone  ;  they  could  not  keep 
people  from  being  hurt.  Oh  !  save  us  from 
the  king  of  Assyria,  that  every  body  may 
know  that  Thou  art  the  only  God. 

God  heard  Hezekiah's  prayer.  Now  I  will 
tell  you  what  God  did  that  night.  He  sent 
His  angel  to  kill  a  great  many  of  the  people 
of  Assyria  as  they  lay  in  their  tents.     The 


220      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

aDge]  did  not  kill  them  all ;  but  the  rest  were 
very  much  frightened,  when  they  found  that 
so  many  had  died  in  the  night ;  and  they 
went  back  to  their  own  country,  and  they  did 
not  get  into  Jerusalem. 

So  God  saved  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah. 
Hezekiah  was  glad  that  all  the  people  saw 
that  his  God  was  the  true  God.  God  can 
keep  all  people  from  being  hurt.  What 
should  we  do  when  we  are  frightened?  We 
should  pray  to  God  to  save  us. 

Does  it  never  frighten  you  to  think  of  the 
devil  and  all  his  wicked  angels  ?  Now  is  the 
time,  my  dear  child,  to  pray  to  God  to  save 
us  from  them.     God  will  hear  us. 

Why  will  He  hear  us  ?  Is  it  because  we 
are  good,  that  He  will  hear  us  ?  JSTo,  that  is 
not  the  reason ;  for  no  one  is  really  good. 
But  this  is  the  reason  ;  because  He  is  kind  and 
good,  and  because  He  promised  Jesus  that  He 
would  hear  us.  Jesus  died  that  His  Father 
might  hear  our  prayers,  and  forgive  us  oui 
sins, 

The  Assyrian  host  unburied  lie, 

While  from  each  vale,  and  hill,  and  wood, 

Wild  beasts  and  birds  are  hastening  nigh, 
To  eat  their  flesh  and  drink  their  blood. 


HEZEKIAH.  221 

The  hand  that  lately  grasped  a  sword, 

The  eye  of  pride,  the  lip  of  scorn, 
The  tongue  that  railed  against  the  Lord, 

By  fangs  and  talons  shall  be  torn. 

How  sweet  the  dawn  of  that  dread  day, 

On  those  who  safe  in  Zion  dwell  1 
On  cymbals,  harps,  and  lutes,  they  play, 

And  praise  the  God  of  IsraeL 

He  heard  the  wicked  heathen  boast, 

And  Hezekiah's  humble  prayer : 
His  angels  slew  the  Assyrian  host, 

While  Israel  slept  beneath  His  care. 

CHILD. 

How  easy  'twere  for  God  to  slay 

His  enemies  this  very  night! 
Oh !  Why  does  He  so  long  delay 

To  make  them  feel  His  dreadful  might  I 

Tis  love  that  makes  Him  slow  to  kill ; 

He  waits  that  all  men  may  repent ; 
Fet,  if  they  grieve  His  goodness  still, 

They'll  share  in  endless  pi 


222      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON   XXXVII. 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR,  OR  THE  GOLDEN  IMAGE. 

2  Chron.  86:  11-20;   Danikl  3. 

How  kind  God  had  been  to  Hezekiah,  king 
of  Judah. 

God  would  not  let  the  people  of  Assyria 
h  jrt  him.  At  last  Hezekiah  died,  and  there 
Wb  8  another  king ;  and  at  last  he  died,  and 
the* )  was  another  king  ;  and  at  last  he  died, 
and  <here  was  another  king;  and  so  there 
were  a  great  many  kings,  one  after  another, 
and  most  of  them  were  very  wicke'd.  Most 
of  the  people  in  Jerusalem  were  wicked,  and 
worship  ped  idols.  So  God  sent  prophets  to 
tell  them  hat  He  would  not  keep  them  from 
being  hui  any  more,  and  that  He  would  let 
some  heathen  king  take  them  a  great  way  off. 
You  remember  that  the  people  in  the  other 
part  of  Cana  u,  who  were  called  the  people 
of  Israel,  had  b^en  taken  away  by  the  king 
of  Assyria ;  and  <*od  said  that  the  people  of 
Judah  should  *  fc*ken  away  by  some  other 
king. 


NEBUCHADNEZZAR.  228 

At  last  there  came  a  rich,  proud  king,  called 
Nebuchadnezzar,  to  fight  against  the  people  in 
Jerusalem.  This  king  came  from  a  country 
called  Babylon.  He  had  a  great  many  sol* 
diers,  who  placed  their  tents  all  round  Jeru- 
salem. At  last  they  got  into  the  city,  and 
they  broke  down  the  wall,  and  they  burnt  a 
great  many  of  the  fine  houses,  and  they  even 
burnt  the  beautiful  temple  that  Solomon  had 
built,  and  they  took  away  the  golden  things 
that  he  had  put  in  it,  the  gold  basins,  and  can- 
dlesticks, and  altars,  spoons,  and  cups,  and 
shovels,  and  they  took  them  to  Babylon,  to 
put  them  in  the  house  of  their  idols. 

Nebuchadnezzar  also  took  the  king  that 
was  then  at  Jerusalem,  and  put  out  both  his 
eyes,  and  brought  him  to  Babylon,  and  kept 
him  in  prison  till  he  died .  he  killed  a  great 
many  people,  and  he  took  a  great  many  more 
with  him  to  be  slaves  in  Babylon.     * 

How  very  sorry  the  people  were  to  leave 
their  own  beautiful  city  and  temple,  and  to 
go  to  Babylon. 

They  sat  down  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon, 
and  wept,  and  they  would  not  sirg  psalms  as 
they  used  to  do,  but  they  hung  their  harps 


224      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

upon  the  willow-trees  that  grew  by  the  water 
side.     Psalm  137. 

Why  did  Gk>d  let  them  be  taken  from  the 
land  of  Canaan  ? 

Because  they  had  sinned  against  him. 

Some  of  the  people  who  were  taken  tc 
Babylon,  loved  God.  I  will  tell  you  about 
three  young  men  who  loved  God  very  much, 
and  who  would  not  worship  idols. 

Nebuchadnezzar  once  made  a  very  large 
image  of  gold  ;  it  was  higher  than  a  very  tall 
tree.  This  image  was  placed  out  of  doors,  and 
Nebuchadnezzar  sent  for  all  the  judges  and 
captains  in  his  land,  and  for  a  great  many  rich 
people,  to  come  and  see  this  golden  image. 
Now  Nebuchadnezzar  had  made  the  three 
good  young  men  judges ;  so  that  they  were 
obliged  to  come  to  see  the  golden  image. 
When  all  these  captains,  and  judges,  and  rich 
men  had  come,  they  stood  around  the  image, 
and  a  man  called  out  very  loud,  Oh  !  people, 
when  the  music  begins  to  be  played,  then  fall 
down  and  worship  the  golden  image  that 
Nebuchadnezzar  has  set  up.  Whoever  does 
not  fall  down  and  worship,  shall  immediately 
be  cast  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace. 


NEBUCHADNEZZAK.  225 

Do  you  know,  dear  children,  what  a  furnace 
is  ?  It  is  a  place  full  of  fire  ;  it  is  like  a  very 
large  oven.  How  horrible  it  must  be  to  be 
put  into  a  furnace !  Would  the  three  good 
youmg  men  worship  the  image,  or  would  they 
not? 

Yery  soon  the  music  began  to  play,  and  the 
people  fell  down,  and  worshipped  the  image. 

Then  some  men  came  to  Nebuchadnezzar, 
and  said,  0  king !  live  for  ever.  Did  you  not 
desire  that  every  man  should  fall  down  and 
worship  the  golden  image,  when  the  music 
was  played  ;  and  that  if  any  one  did  not  wor- 
ship, he  should  be  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace  ? 
There  are  three  men  who  have  not  minded 
what  you  said :  they  never  worship  your  gods, 
nor  have  they  worshipped  the  golden  image 
you  set  up. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  was  in  a  rage,  and  he 
desired  the  men  to  be  brought  to  him.  Then 
these  men  were  brought  before  the  king.  And 
Nebuchadnezzar  said  to  them,  Is  it  true  that 
you  do  not  worship  my  gods,  nor  the  golden 
image  I  have  set  up  ?  Now  if  next  time  the 
music  is  played,  you  fall  down  and  worship,  it 
is  well ;  but  if  not,  you  shall  be  cast  into  the 


226      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

furnace  And  who  is  the  Gfcd  that  can  delivei 
you  out  of  my  hand  ? 

Then  the  young  men  answered  the  king,  0 
Nebuchadnezzar,  our  God  is  able  to  delivei 
us  from  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  and  he  will 
deliver  us  out  of  thy  hand,  0  king !  But  if 
not,  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship 
the  golden  image  thou  hast  set  up. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  was  full  of  fury ;  and 
his  face  looked  quite  different  from  before,  be- 
cause he  was  in  such  a  great  passion. 

He  desired  his  servants  to  make  the  furnace 
iseven  times  hotter  than  usual,  and  he  ordered 
the  strongest  of  his  soldiers  to  throw  the  three 
young  men  into  the  furnace.  First  the  young 
men  were  bound,  so  that  they  might  not  be 
able  to  move  when  they  were  in  the  fire ;  and 
their  clothes  were  not  taken  off.  Then  the 
strong  soldiers  threw  them  into  the  furnace; 
and  the  flames  were  so  great,  that  the  soldiers 
who  put  in  the  young  men  caught  fire,  and 
were  burnt  up.  The  three  young  men  fell 
down  in  the  midst  of  the  furnace. 

Nebuchadnezzar  was  near  the  furnace,  and 
watched  to  see  the  young  men  burning.  But 
oh  I  how  much  surprised  he  was  to  see  them 


NEBUCHADNEZZAR.  227 

wali  «g  about  the  furnace,  and  to  see  a  man 
with  them,  who  looked  like  the  son  of  God. 

Nebuchadnezzar  cried  out  to  his  servants, 
Did  we  not  cast  three  men  into  the  fire?  And 
they  answered,  True,  0  king!4 

And  Nebuchadnezzar  said,  I  see  four  men 
loose,  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  fire ;  and 
they  are  not  hurt,  and  one  of  them  is  like  the 
Son  of  God. 

Nebuchadnezzar  had  never  seen  the  Son  of 
God ;  but  he  had  never  seen  a  man  like  him 
who  was  in  the  furnace,  so  he  supposed  that 
he  must  be  a  god.  Was  it  not  kind  in  God 
to  come,  and  walk  with  these  young  men  in 
the  furnace  ? 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  went  to  the  furnace, 
and  called  the  young  men  by  their  names,  and 
said,  Oh !  servants  of  the  most  high  God,  come 
forth,  and  come  hither.  And  the  three  young 
men  came  out  of  the  furnace.  Then  all  the 
judges  and  captains  came  near  and  looked  at 
the  young  men,  and  saw  that  they  were  not 
the  least  hurt,  not  a  hair  of  their  heads  was 
singed,  nor  were  their  clothes  scorched,  nor 
did  they  even  smell  of  fire.  Then  Nebuchad- 
nezzar saw  that  there  was  a  God  who  could 


228      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

deliver  his  servants  from  the  burning  flame ; 
and  Nebuchadnezzar  said,  that  if  any  person 
spoke  against  God  he  should  be  cut  to  pieces, 
and  his  house  should  be  made  a  dunghilL 
And  the  king*  was  very  much  pleased  with 
these  three  young  men. 

Do  you  think  that  the  young  men  had  been 
happy  while  they  were  in  the  fire  ?  Yes,  I 
think  they  must  have  been  happy,  for  they 
had  such  a  friend  walking  with  them.  "Were 
they  not  glad  that  they  had  not  worshipped 
the  golden  image  ?  If  they  had  been  burnt, 
their  spirits  would  have  gone  to  heaven;  but 
God  did  not  let  them  be  burnt,  that  all  people 
might  see  that  He  was  the  true  God,  and  that 
every  body  should  worship  Him. 

Though  all  the  other  people  worshipped  the 
image,  they  did  not.  If  other  people  do  wick- 
ed things,  should  we  do  them  too  ?  My  dear 
children,  if  all  your  little  companions  do  a 
wrong  thing,  still  you  should  do  what  is  right, 
that  you  may  please  God.  If  you  see  every 
body  else  breaking  the  Sabbath-day,  remem- 
ber that  you  ought  to  keep  it. 

If  other  children  are  disobedient,  and  join 
in  doing  something  they  are  not  allowed  to  do, 


NEBUCHADNEZZAR.  229 

Btill,  dear  child,  remember  God  sees  you.  If 
the  other  children  laugh  at  you,  do  not  mind 
it,  for  God  is  pleased* 

I  hope  you  will  be  like  these  three  good 
young  men.  Then,  if  you  should  die  sud- 
denly, your  spirit  would  go  to  God,  and  you 
would  be  happy  for  ever. 

Thousands  are  met  in  that  great  plain, 
Where  a  vast  golden.image  stands ; 

They  hear  the  music's  thundering  strain— 
They  kneel,  for  so  the  king  commanda 

Three  men  refuse  to  bow  the  kj»ee 

Before  that  golden  image  vast ; 
They  still  refuse  :  the  faithful  three 

Into  the  fiery  flames  are  cast. 

But  lo,  they  walk  amid  the  fiancee, 

Nor  seem  to  feel  the  raging  heat ; 
It  does  not  scorch  their  tender  frwnee, 

But  burns  the  bands  around  their  feet 

And  does  the  Son  of  God  descend 
To  guard  them  by  His  wondrous  jxvwer 

Ah  I  is  he  not  a  loving  friend, 
Who  flies  to  help  in  trouble's  hour? 

His  glorious  form  the  king  admires, 
And  views  the  three  with  wonderinf  ey»  I 

At  his  command  they  leave  the  fires, 
Which  were  to  them  like  Paradise. 
20 


280       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 


This  golden  image  seems  to  me 

Like  sin,  when  it  appears  most  bright; 

Thousands  around  still  bend  the  knee, 
And  in  its  pleasures  take  delight. 

If  I  refuse  to  do  the  same, 

Perhaps  they'll  show  me  hate  and  scon 
Bat  He  who  to  the  furnace  came, 

Will  never  leave  my  soul  forlorn. 

Pre  heard  that  in  the  days  gone  by, 
Some  have  been  burnt  for  Jesus'  sake : 

Ah  I  dearest  Saviour,  Thou  wert  nigh, 
When  they  were  suffering  at  the 


BELSHAZZAR.  231 


LESSON    XXXVIII. 

BELSHAZZAR,     OR      THE    WRITING     OK 
THE    WALL. 

Daniel  5. 

At  last  Nebuchadnezzar  the  proud  king  of 
Babylon  died,  and  there  was  another  king  of 
Babylon,  called  Belshazzar.  He  was  the 
grandson  of  Nebuchadnezzar ;  and  he  was  like 
Nebuchadnezzar,  for  he  was  proud,  and  h<* 
worshipped  idols. 

One  day  he  made  a  great  feast,  and  a  great 
many  rich  men,  called  lords,  came  to  his  feast, 
and  Belshazzar  draDk  wine  before  them.  Do 
you  remember,  my  dear  children,  that  Nebu- 
chadnezzar had  taken  the  gold  and  silver  cups, 
that  were  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  had 
brought  them  to  Babylon  ?  Belshazzar  wished 
that  these  cups  might  be  brought,  for  him, 
and  his  lords,  and  his  wives,  to  drink  wine 
out  of  them.  So  they  were  brought,  and 
Belshazzar,  and  his  lords,  and  his  wives  drank 
wine  in  them ;  and  while  they  drank,  they 
praised  their  idols,  which  were  made  of  gold, 
and  silver,  of  brass,  of  iron  of  wood  and  oi 
stone 


232      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Was  it  not  wicked  in  Belshazzar  and  his 
lords  to  take  the  cups  which  were  once  in  the 
house  of  the  true  God,  and  to  praise  idols 
while  they  were  drinking  in  them  ? 

Oh  I  yes,  and  God  was  very  angry  ;  because 
although  Belshazzar  had  heard  about  the  true 
God,  yet  he  worshipped  idols,  and  praised 
them.  Now  you  shall  hear  what  God  did  to 
Belshazzar. 

Did  not  God  see  this  wickedness  ? 

While  the  king  was  drinking,  he  saw  the 
fingers  of  a  man's  hand  writing  on  the  wall 
of  the  palace,  near  where  the  candlestick  was. 
He  did  not  see  a  man,  only  some  fingers..  The 
king  was  very  much  frightened  :  he  did  not 
look  merry  any  longer,  but  he  trembled  very 
much,  and  his  knees  knocked  against  each 
other. 

Belshazzar  wanted  to  know  what  was  writ- 
ten on  the  wall :  there  were  four  words  writ- 
ten there,  but  the  king  could  not  read  that 
kind  of  writing ;  so  he  sent  for  all  the  men 
in  Babylon  who  were  called  wise  and  clever, 
and  who  said  they  could  tell  hard  things. 

Belshazzar  said,  Whoever  will  read  that 
writing,  and  tell  the  meaning  of  it,  shall  be 


gap""  #  "z-ii 


:   \     i    MS 


BELSHAZZAR.  283 

clothed  in  scarlet, (such  as  kings  used  to  wear,) 
and  shall  have  a  golden  chain  to  wear  on  his 
neck,  and  shall  be  made  a  great  judge. 

A  great  many  men  tried  to  read  the  writing, 
but  they  could  not.  Then  Belshazzar  was 
still  more  frightened,  and  looked  very  much 
terrified,  and  his  lords  were  frightened  also. 
They  were  afraid  that  something  very  dread- 
ful had  been  written  on  the  wall :  they  thought 
something  sad  was  going  to  happen.  Now 
Belshazzar  had  a  mother  living.  She  was 
called  the  queen.  She  heard  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  she  came  into  the  room  where  Bel- 
shazzar was,  and  said,  Oh  !  king,  live  for  ever. 
Do  not  be  frightened ;  there  is  a  man  in  Baby- 
lon who  is  very  wise  indeed,  and  who  can  tell 
the  meaning  of  things;  his  name  is  Daniel. 
Let  him  be  called,  and  he  will  know  the  mean- 
ing of  the  writing. 

Now  this  Daniel  was  one  of  the  men  whom 
Nebuchadnezzar  had  brought  from  Jerusalem : 
he  was  an  Israelite.  When  he  first  came  to 
Babylon  he  was  quite  young,  but  now  he  was 
old :  he  was  very  wise,  and  he  loved  God  very 
much. 

Belflhazzar  sent  for  Daniel  to  come  to  him. 
20* 


234      PEECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Then  Belshazzar  said,  I  hear  that  you  can  tell 
the  meaning  of  things :  if  you  can  read  the 
writing  on  the  wall,  and  tell  the  meaning  of 
it,  you  shall  be  clothed  in  scarlet,  and  wear  a 
gold  chain,  and  be  made  a  great  judye. 

But  Daniel  said,  I  do  not  want  any  reward, 
yet  I  will  read  the  writing,  and  tell  the  mean- 
ing of  it. 

Then  Daniel  told  Belshazzar,  that  the  true 
Grod  was  very  angry  with  him  for  being  so 
proud,  and  for  sending  for  the  cups  of  His 
temple,  and  for  drinking  in  them,  and  praising 
idols  ;  and  for  not  worshipping  God,  though 
he  had  heard  of  him,  and  he  knew  that  it  was 
G-od  alone  who  gave  him  life,  and  riches,  and 
honor,  and  power.  Daniel  said,  that  the  writ- 
ing on  the  wall  meant  that  he  should  soon 
be  king  no  more,  but  that  some  people  would 
come  and  take  his  land  from  him 

Then  Belshazzar  ordered  that  Daniel  should 
be  clothed  in  scarlet,  and  wear  a  golden  chain 
about  his  neck,  and  that  many  people  should 
obey  him. 

That  very  night,  a  king  from  another  coun- 
try got  into  Babylon  with  a  great  many  sol- 
diers, and   killed  Belshazzar,  and  took  hia 


BELSHAZZAR.  235 

throne,  and  his  crown,  and  all  he  had.  So 
the  words  that  God  had  written  on  the  wall 
came  true. 

What  has  God  written  down  in  his  book 
about  those  who  do  not  love  him  ?  Has  He 
not  said  that  he  will  come  and  punish  them  ? 
Does  it  frighten  you  to  think  of  this  day,  my 
dear  child  ?     It  certainly  will  come. 

I  have  often  told  you  what  we  should  pray 
for ;  so  I  hope,  my  clear  child,  that  you  are 
praying  for  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Belshazzar,  with  his  lords  at  night, 

Is  feasting  in  the  palace  hall : 
What  tills  the  king  with  sudden  fright  t 
Behold  that  hand  upon  the  wall. 

Well  might  he  fear  the  wrath  divine, 
Who  sent  for  hallowed  cups  of  gold, 

Polluted  them  with  draughts  of  wine, 
And  idol  gods  in  songs  extolled 

Tie  true,  the  God  he  disobeyed, 
From  heaven  with  anger  has  lookec  dowa, 

In  balances  his  soul  has  weighed, 
And  torn  away  his  kingly  crown. 

And  this  is  written  on  the  wall, 
And  Daniel  can  the  words  explain : 

Fierce  soldiers  rush  into  the  hall — 
That  night  the  wicked  king  is  slain. 


236      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 


Oh  I  Lord,  and  didst  Thou  punish  thw 
A  heathen,  for  ungodly  mirth  ? 

What  reverence  wilt  Thou  claim  from  ua, 
Who  learnt  to  know  Thee  from  our  birth 

Fll  never  wear  a  smiling  look 

When  others  lightly  speak  of  Thee, 

Last  thou  shouldst  write  down  in  Thy  boot 
Some  dreadful  sentence  against  me. 


DANIEL — THE   DEN   OF  LICNS.  237 

LESSON    XXXIX. 

DANIEL,   OR  THE  DEN  OF  LIONR 

Dauiel  6. 

The  name  of  the  king  that  conquered  Bel 
shazzar  was  Da-ri-us.  He  was  a  proud  man, 
and  he  worshipped  idols  ;  yet  he  liked  Daniel 
very  much,  and  set  him  over  all  the  other 
judges,  and  lords,  and  told  all  the  people  to 
mind  him.  Daniel  was  a  very  wise  old  man, 
and  he  was  fit  to  be  a  judge.  There  were  a 
great  many  rich  men  who  hated  Daniel,  be- 
cause the  king  told  them  to  mind  Daniel,  and 
because  the  king  liked  Daniel  better  than  them. 
These  men  were  envious  of  Daniel.  They  were 
like  Cain,  who  was  envious  of  Abel,  and  like 
Joseph's  brothers,  who  were  envious  of  Joseph, 
and  like  Saul,  who  was  envious  of  David. 

Perhaps,  my  dear  child,  you  have  sometimes 
felt  envious,  when  you  have  heard  people  praise 
another  child  and  seen  them  give  it  presents. 
Then  you  were  like  Satan.  You  must  pray 
to  God  to  keep  you  from  being  envious  for 
we  are  very  apt  to  be  envious,  because  we 
have  wicked  hearts. 


238      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

These  wicked  rich  men  wished  to  hart  Dan- 
iel, and  to  get  him  into  disgrace  with  king 
Darius ;  but  they  did  not  know  how  to  get  him 
into  disgrace ;  they  never  saw  Daniel  do  any 
thing  wrong.  I  suppose  they  were  afraid  o* 
telling  the  king  lies  of  Daniel  lest  they  should 
be  found  out.  But  at  last  they  thought  of  a 
way  to  get  Daniel  into  disgrace.  They  knew 
that  he  prayed  very  often  to-  God ;  so  they 
went  to  the  king,  and  asked  him  to  make  a 
law,  that  no  one  should  pray  to  any  God  or 
man,  but  to  the  king  himself,  for  thirty  days , 
and  that  if  any  one  did  pray  to  any  one  else, 
he  should  be  cast  into  a  den  of  lions.  Now 
the  king  did  not  know  why  these  men  asked 
him  to  make  this  law :  if  the  king  had  known 
that  Daniel  always  prayed  to  God,  I  do  not 
think  he  would  have  made  this  law,  for  the 
king  loved  Daniel. 

The  king  was  so  foolish  as  to  say  that  he 
would  do  as  these  mei  wished,  because,  you 
know,-  the  king  was  a  heathen,  and  he  did  not 
love  the  true  God.  So  he  wrote  down  the 
law,  and  promised  not  to  change  it. 

Daniel  heard  of  the  law  that  the  king  had 
made. 


DANIEL — THE   DEN   OF  LIONS.  239 

Do  you  think  that  he  went  on  pra}ing? 
Daniel  would  have  thought  it  very  dreadful 
not  to  pray  to  God  for  thirty  days.  He  want- 
ed to  praise  God  very  often,  and  ask  him  to 
bless  him 

He  used  always  to  pray  before  the  open 
window  in  his  room.  Perhaps  you  wonder 
why  he  did  so.  The  reason  was,  he  liked  to 
look  towards  the  place  where  he  knew  Jeru- 
salem was.  He  could  not  see  Jerusalem  from 
his  window,  because  it  was  so  very  far  off; 
but  still  he  knew  which  way  it  was,  and  he 
knew  that  God  loved  Jerusalem,  and  that  God 
used  to  come  down  into  the  temple,  before  it 
was  burnt ;  so  Daniel  liked  to  look  that  way 
when  he  prayed. 

He  knelt  down  three  times  every  day,  and 
prayed,  and  thanked  God  for  all  His  kindness 
to  him.  And  he  knelt  at  his  window  just  as 
usual,  for  he  was  not  ashamed  nor  afraid  to 
pray. 

The  men  who  hated  Daniel  heard  that  he 
went  on  praying ;  so  they  went  one  day  to 
look  at  him  while  he  was  praying,  that  they 
might  tell  the  king  that  they  had  seen  him. 

Then  they  asked  the  king,  Did  you  not  mak« 


240      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

a  law,  that  if  any  one  prayed  to  any  god  01 
man,  excepting  you,  that  he  should  be  cast 
into  a  den  of  lions  ? 

And  the  king  said,  Yes,  it  is  true,  and  1 
cannot  change  the  law. 

Then  the  men  said,  That  Daniel,  who  was 
brought  from  Jerusalem  to  be  a  slave,  does  not 
mind  you,  nor  your  law,  but  prays  three  times 
a  day. 

Then  the  king  was  very  sorry  that  he  had 
made  a  law  against  praying,  and  tried  to  think 
of  some  way  of  not  letting  Daniel  be  killed ; 
but  he  could  think  of  no  way.  In  the  evening 
the  men  came  to  him,  and  said,  You  cannot 
alter  the  law  that  you  have  made,  for  in  out 
country  laws  may  not  be  altered'. 

Then  the  king  desired  Daniel  to  be  brought, 
and  he  was  cast  into  a  den  of  lions ;  the  lions 
lived  in  a  deep  place  under  ground.  Lions  are 
always  very  hungry  in  the  evening,  and  roai 
for  their  food.  Would  they  not  eat  up  Dan- 
iel, as  soon  as  he  was  thrown  into  the  den  ? 

But  Darius  knew  that  Daniel's  God  was  a 
very  great  God,  and  he  said  to  Daniel,  Youi 
God,  whom  you  serve  always,  is  able  to  de- 
liver you. 

I  think  Darius  must  have  heard  how  God 


DANIEL — THE   DEN   OF  LIONS.  241 

once  saved  three  men  from  being  burnt  in  the 
furnace.  A  stone  was  brought  and  kid  upon 
the  top  of  the  den  ;  and  the  king  put  his  seal 
on  it,  that  none  might  take  away  the  etone, 
and  he  put  on  it  also  the  seal  of  the  men  that 
hated  Daniel. 

Why  did  the  king  put  his  own  seal  on  it  ? 
That  he  might  find  out  if  any  one  came  and 
took  Daniel  away,  for  no  one  else  had  a  seal 
like  the  king's ;  so  if  any  one  broke  the  seal, 
the  king  would  find  it  out.  Why  did  he  put 
the  wicked  men's  seal  ?  That  they  might  see 
that  the  king  did  not  take  Daniel  out  in  the 
night. 

The  king  went  to  his  palace  that  evening, 
but  he  was  so  unhappy  that  he  could  not  eat> 
and  he  would  not  let  his  servants  play  music 
to  him,  as  usual,  and  when  he  went  to  bed, 
he  could  not  sleep, 

lie  got  up  very  early  in  the  morning. 
Where  did  he  go  ?  To  the  den  of  lions.  When 
he  came  to  the  den,  he  cried  out  in  a  very  sad 
voice,  0  Daniel,  is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servesi 
always,  able  to  deliver  thee  from  the  lions? 

The  king  longed  to  hear  Daniel's  voice— 
and  he  heard  it 
21 


242      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

Daniel  said,  0  king !  live  for  ever.  My  God 
hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath  shut  the  lions1 
mouths  that  they  have  not  hurt  me ;  because 
I  had  done  nothing  wrong. 

Then  the  king  was  v*ery  glad  indeed,  and 
ordered  that  Daniel  should  be  taken  up,  and 
he  was  not  the  least  hurt. 

Why  did  God  take  such  care  of  Daniel  ? 
Because  Daniel  loved  Him,  and  feared  Him : 
and  God  wanted  to  show  the  king  that  He 
was  able  to  save  Daniel,  and  that  He  was  the 
true  God. 

The  king  was  very  angry  with  those  men 
'who  had  asked  him  to  put  Daniel  in  the  den, 
and  he  commanded  them  to  be  thrown  down 
into  the  den,  with  their  wives  and  their  chil- 
dren. It  was  very  cruel  in  the.  king  to  have 
the  wives  and  children  put  into  the  den,  but 
the  wicked  men  deserved  to  be  put  there.  The 
lions  ate  them  up  in  a  moment,  and  broke  all 
their  bones,  before  they  came  to  the  bottom 
of  the  den.  So  you  see  that  the  lions  were 
very  hungry,  though  they  did  not  eat  Daniel. 

Then  king  Darius  wrote  a  letter,  and  sent 
it  to  all  countries,  and  said,  that  he  had  made 
a  law  that  every  one  should  fear  the  God  of 


DANIEL — THE  DEN  OF  LIONS.  243 

Daniel,  because  He  was  the  true  God,  who 
could  do  wonders,  and  who  had  saved  Daniel 
from  the  lions. 

Do  you  not  wish  that  every  body  had  mind- 
ed this  law,  and  feared  the  God  of  Daniel  ? 
But  they  did  not ;  they  still  went  on  worship- 
ping idols.  You  see,  my  dear  child,  how 
much  Daniel  loved  God :  he  would  rather  die 
than  not  pray  to  God.  Shall  you  be  cast  into 
a  den  of  lions  if  you  pray  to  God?  No,  my 
dear  children,  you  may  pray  to  God  without 
fear.  I  hope  you  do  pray  very  often.  You 
should  not  pray,  as  Daniel  did,  before  a  win- 
dow. I  told  you  his  reason  for  doing  so.  You 
should  pray  in  some  quiet  place :  God  can  see 
you  in  every  place,  and  He  will  hear  you,  if 
you  pray  with  your  heart,  whether  you  are 
kneeling  by  your  bedside,  or  in  a  corner  of  the 
room,  or  in  a  little  room  by  yourself.  He 
will  even  hear  your  prayers  when  you  are 
walking  in  the  lane  or  in  the  garden. 

If  ever  you  should  be  sleeping  in  a  room 
where  there  are  wicked  people,  who  would 
laugh  at  you  for  praying,  and  for  reading  the 
Bible,  still  you  should  do  it.  You  should  al- 
ways think  that  God  sees  you,    Ycu  should 


244      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

be  more  afraid  of  making  Him  angry  than  c  f 

any  thing  else. 

Some  children  forget  to  pray  in  the  mor- 
ning; and  are  too  sleepy  to  pray  at  night 
and  they  pray  in  a  great  hurry,  and  withoul 
thinking  or  caring  for  God. 

Does  (rod  hear  such  prayers  ? 

Daniel,  by  threats  unterrified, 
Before  his  windows  opened  wide 

Kneels  down,  and  prays  to  God  ; 
And  as  he  prays  directs  his  face 
Towards  the  loved  and  distant  place, 

Where  once  the  temple  stood. 

His  enemies  behold  him  pray 

At  morn,  and  noon,  and  close  of  day ; 

And  to  the  king  they  cry, 
1  Daniel  the  Jew  has  disobeyed 
The  unchanging  law  that  thou  hast  madt, 

And  by  that  law  must  die." 

The  king  with  grief  is  overcome, 
And  labors  till  the  setting  sun, 

His  favorite  to  save : 
He  tries  in  vain.     These  wicked  men 
Cast  Daniel  in  the  gloomy  den, 

Where  hungry  lions  rave. 

The  king  can  neither  sleep,  nor  eat, 

Nor  bear  the  sound  of  music  sweet, 

Bat  mourns  throughout  the  nigbi 


DANIEL — THE   DEN   OF  LIONS.  246 

At  early  dawn  he  seeks  the  den ; 
When  Daniel's  voice  he  hears  again, 
Dow  great  is  his  delight ! 

Yet  Daniel  has  no  harm  received, 
Because  in  God  he  has  believed, 

And  loved  His  holy  laws. 
An  angel  bright  has  been  his  guard. 
Nor  have  the  hungry  lions  dared 

Unclose  their  cruel  jaws. 

Will  Daniel  ever  cease  to  pray 

To  that  great  God  who  was  his  stay, 

In  his  extreme  distress  ? 
Naught  shall  divide  his  soul  from  Hint  ; 
And  when  his  eyes  in  death  grow  diz» 

His  name  he'll  still  confess. 

CHILD. 

And  may  I  call  this  God  my  own  t 
Yes,  He  invites  me  to  His  throne 

To  speak  to  Him  in  prayer  ; 
But  if  I  so  delight  in  play, 
That  I  can  ne'er  find  time  to  p«%~ 

His  love  I  cannot  share. 


IV 


246  PKECEPT   UPON  PRECEPT. 

LESSON    XL. 

THE    RETURN    TO    JERUSALEM 

Ezra  1 ;  8 ;  6  :  14  to  end. 

I  told  you  how  unhappy  the  poor  Israelites 
were  in  Babylon.  They  wished  very  much 
to  return  to  their  own  country,  Canaan,  but 
the  kings  of  Babylon  would  not  let  them  go 
back.  However,  God  had  made  a  promise,  a 
long  while  before,  that  He  would  let  them  re- 
turn some  day. 

Now  there  was  another  king  in  Babylon 
besides  Darius,  who  was  a  king  as  well  as  he. 
This  king's  name  was  Cyrus :  God  put  it  in  the 
head  of  Cyrus  to  let  the  poor  Israelites  return 
to  their  own  country;  For  God  remembered 
His  promise.  Cyrus  had  been  taught  to  wor- 
ship idols,  yet  he  believed  that  Daniel's  God 
was  the  true  God ;  and  he  was  ready  to  mind 
what  the  true  God  said. 

So  Cyrus  told  the  Israelites  that  they  might 
go  back  to  their  own  country,  and  build  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem.  Cyris  gave  back  to 
them  all  the  gold  and  silver  things  that  Nebu- 
chadnezzar had  taken  cut  of  the  temple— 


RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  247 

dishes  and  basins,  and  cups  of  gold,  and 
silver. 

Many  of  the  people  in  Babylon  gave  the 
Israelites  presents  before  they  went  away; 
horses,  camels,  and  asses,  to  carry  their  things. 

How  happy  the  poor  Israelites  were  to 
leave  such  a  wicked  place  as  Babylon !  But 
oh  I  when  they  came  to  Jerusalem,  how  sad  to 
see  the  walls  broken  down,  and  many  of  the 
houses  burnt!  But  still  the  Israelites  were 
very  thankful  to  God  for  letting  them  come 
there  again. 

You  remember,  that  God  never  let  the  peo- 
ple who  had  lived  in  the  other  part  of  Canaan 
come  back.  It  was  kind  in  God  to  let  the 
people  of  Judah  come  back. 

When  they  had  come  to  Jerusalem,  they  set 
up  the  altar,  and  offered  a  great  many  beasts 
on  it,  to  show  how  grateful  they  were. 

They  wished  to  build  the  temple  as  soon  as 
they  could,  and  they  got  a  great  many  carpen- 
ters and  masons,  and  sent  for  beautiful  trees 
to  help  to  build  it  with. 

At  last  they  laid  the  first  stone  of  the  tem- 
ple upon  the  high  hill  in  Jerusalem.  A  great 
many  Israelites  came  together  to  see  the  first 


248      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

stone  laid.  The  priests  stood  near,  dressed  in 
white,  with  trumpets,  and  the  singers  played 
mnsic,  and  snng  psalms,  saying,  "The  Lord 
is  good,  and  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

And  when  the  first  stone  was  laid,  the  priests 
blew  the  trumpets,  and  the  singers  sung  psalms, 
and  the  people  shouted  for  joy. 

There  were  some  old  people  there,  who  re- 
membered having  seen  the  temple  before  it 
was  burnt,  a  long  while  ago,  when  they  were 
little  children ;  and  when  the  other  people 
shouted,  these  old  people  wept  very  loud. 
Why  did  they  weep  ?  Why  had  the  temple 
been  burnt?  "Because  the  people  had  been 
wicked.  Perhaps  the  old  men  were  grieved 
because  the  people  had  been  so  ungrateful  to 
God.  The  noise  of  the  weeping  and  the 
shouting  could  be  heard  a  great  way  off. 

The  people  of  Israel  were  a  great  many 
years  building  the  temple.  At  last  it  was 
finished,  and  the  people  were  very  glad.  This 
temple  was  not  so  beautiful  as  the  temple  Sol 
omon  had  built,  and  God  did  not  come  down 
in  a  cloud,  and  fill  it. 

You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  the  Israelites 
determined  to  worship  idols  no  more.     Bui 


HKTURN   TO   JKRJSALEM.  249 

though  thoy  did  not  worship  idols,  they  did 
not  love  God  with  all  their  hearts ;  so  they 
did  a  great  many  other  wicked  things.  There 
were  a  few  of  them  who  really  loved  God 

The  Israelites  lived  in  Jerusalem  and  in  the 
land  of  Canaan  a  great  many  years.  They 
were  now  called  Jews,  instead  of  Israelites. 
God  sent  them  prophets  sometimes  to  teach 
them,  and  to  put  them  in  mind  of  a  promise 
that  He  had  made  to  Abraham.  What  pro- 
mise do  I  mean  ?  That  a  Saviour  should  one 
day  be  born,  who  should  be  their  King  for 
ever.  God  had  made  the  same^  promise  to 
David,  and  had  said  that  this  Saviour  should 
be  one  of  his  descendants.  Some  of  the  Is- 
raelites, or  Jews,  thought  very  often  of  this 
promise,  and  longed  for  the  Saviour  to  be 
born  into  the  world.  They  knew  that  the 
Saviour  would  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  where 
David  was  born.  How  did  they  know  that  ? 
Because  one  of  tht  prophets  had  said  He 
should  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  And  they 
knew  that  His  mother  would  be  some  person 
of  the  family  of  David,  because  the  prophets 
had  said  so ;  and  they  knew  that  He  would  be 
the  King  of  the  Jews,  and  cf  all  people,  foi 
the  prophets  had  said  so. 


250      PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT. 

At  last  one  of  David's  descendants,  a  wo 
man  called  Mary  had  a  son,  who  was  the  Son 
of  God ;  and  He  was  born  in  Bethlehem. 

Yon  have  heard  abont  Jesns  Christ,  my 
dear  children,  and  how  the  Jews  or  Israelites 
crucified  Him.  You  will  soon  read  about 
Him  in  the  Bible.  Do  yon  love  this  blessed 
Saviour?  His  Father  sent  Him  to  suffer  the 
punishment  of  Adam's  sins,  and  of  my  sins, 
and  of  your  sins,  dear  children,  and  of  the 
Jews'  sins,  and  the  sins  of  all  who  believe  in 
Him.  Before  the  world  was  made,  God  told 
His  Son  to  come,  and  die ;  and  the  Son  pro- 
mised that  He  would  come.  At  last  He  came 
and  died,  and  one  day  He  will  come  again. 
When  He  comes  again,  He  will  bring  with 
Him  all  those  who  cared  for  God's  promise, 
and  longed  for  the  Saviour  to  come.  Abe] 
will  come  with  Jesus,  and  Noah,  and  Abra- 
ham, and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  Joseph,  and 
Moses,  and  Joshua,  and  David,  and  Elijah, 
and  Elisha,  and  Hezekiah,  and  Daniel,  and  a 
great  many  more.  All  these  men  lived  be- 
fore Jesus  came  down  to  die ;  but  you,  my 
dear  children,  live  after  Jesus  has  come.  God 
has  kept  His  promise  —  Jesus  has  died  foi 
your  sins.     Do  you  love  the  Lord  Jesus 


RETURN  TO  JERUSA1EM.  251 

Christ,  and  His  Father?  If  you  do,  it  is  a 
sign  that  God  has  put  His  spirit  into  your 
hearts.  Then  you  too  will  live  with  Jesus  in 
heaven,  and  you  will  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  Joseph,  and  Moses,  and 
David. 

The  priests,  arrayed  in  garments  white, 
Are  singing  psalms  of  sweet  delight 

In  fair  Jerusalem  ; 
But  listen  to  the  mournful  cries, 
And  oh!  behold  the  streaming  eyes 

Of  yonder  aged  men. 

Those  streaming  eyes  did  once  behold 
The  temple  fair  adorned  with  gold 

By  glorious  Solomon  , 
But  since  the  day  the  foe  rushed  in, 
Those  aged  men  have  captive  been, 

In  mighty  Babylon. 

Perhaps  the  sound  of  those  sweet  psalms 
Reminds  them  of  their  parents'  arms, 

And  of  their  infant  years  ; 
Perhaps  the  thought  how  Israel's  crime* 
Provoked  the  Lord  in  former  times, 

Now  fills  their  eyes  with  tears. 

And  though  the  Lord's  forgiving  grace 
Restored  them  to  their  native  plaoa. 

To  bless  them  as  at  first, 
Perhaps  they  fear  lest  Israel  may 
Provoke  the  Lord  again  to  lay 

Their  temple  in  the  dust 


262       PRECEPT  UPON  PRECEPT 


0  Father  !  while  I  live  below, 

Tis  well  ray  tears  should  sometimes  flo* 

For  sins  that  I  have  done ; 
For  still  my  heart's  disposed  to  pride, 
And  still  inclined  to  turn  aside 

From  Thee,  0  Holy  One  ! 

The  thought  of  all  my  follies  past, 
Now  makes  my  heart  to  cling  more  faff 

Around  my  gracious  God. 
In  heaven  no  tear  shall  dim  my  smile, 
?or  s:n  shall  then  no  more  defile 

Wy  garments  washed  in  blood 


Ait    'r      '?        r7v  *Kl 


sir  -  Ue  : "  -^ T  -W   yi ' 


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